Turf Matters January February 2023

TURF

Don’t forget Sport…

A year like no other, ended with a World Cup like no other, and while there were many off the pitch issues, of which we were all aware – not least around the Budweiser boardroom table – the tournament itself was superb, topped off by a magnificent final and a very happy Lionel Messi.

The last two months have been a nightmare for many people in certain parts of the country and my heart goes out to everyone dealing with the aftermath of unprecedented flooding and devastating erosion.

The best case scenario for many is months of temporary living. For others, lives will never return to what they were.

While the fate of sports grounds and golf clubs might seem inconsequential in the face of such hardship, we at Turf Matters have a particular empathy with everyone who has seen years of agronomic husbandry literally washed away in the space of a few weeks.

As for the year we have just started. We all know that our already tight belts – leaving the impact or Christmas aside – are going to be tightened yet further, and that our hard-earned money is not going to go as far as it once did.

It must be hoped that banks – the financial institutions, not the things which edge overflown rivers – take an understanding approach to sporting facilities which have been unable to service loans as a result of them being unplayable and so unable to bring in revenue.

How many generations have come and gone since we were worse off than our parents? I grew up with 15% interest rates back in the late 80s and early 90s and that was tough – but 15% mortgage payments on a property at 1990s values was still significantly less than the 5% payments on current values. Indeed, we did have the prospect of interest rates falling, not the reverse, as is the case at the moment.

As we have seen with the recent Winter Olympics, sport has such a galvanising effect on society and can be the catalyst for so much good, that it is imperative sporting facilities are not forgotten when the promised assistance is being allocated.

Distributed every two months to sports turf professionals, local authorities and buyers of turfcare machinery and products.

Editor: Scott MacCallum scott@turfmatters.co.uk

Design and Production Editor: Tim Moat tim@turfmatters.co.uk

Sales Manager: Pauline Thompson

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Turf Matters is published by Straight Down the Middle Communications Ltd.

As a nation, and as an industry, we are a resilient bunch so hopefully we will all get through it somehow, just as we did through Covid.

On the issue of improving sporting facilities, we have been invited by Briggs & Stratton to become involved in its Pitch to Win competition, which provides a £3,000 makeover for what is judged to be the Under 18s football pitch in most need – find out more on pages 16-17. I am on the judging panel and visits will be made to a shortlist of deserving pitches soon. We will be looking not so much at the DESSO but the desperate!

Turf Matters is published by Straight Down the Middle Communications Ltd. All material © Turf Matters magazine 2023. Awarded Best Writing and Best Design in the Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) Awards 2019-2022 inclusive

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Let’s take solace that those sunny uplands of 2024 are but 12 months away!

Best wishes for 2023.

On a final note, I am thrilled by the reception that the first issue of Turf Matters received. Many people have taken time to say how much they liked the look of the magazine and how they enjoyed the articles. We’re all pleased you found it to your liking and we will work hard to maintain the high standards. Thank you all very much.

Scott MacCallum, Editor

Scott MacCallum, Editor

All material © Turf Matters magazine 2014. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, either for sale or not, without the written permission of the publisher. Information contained in Turf Matters is published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. Turf Matters can accept no responsibility for any error or misrepresentation. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or other damage caused by reliance on information contained in Turf Matters or in the event of any bankruptcy or liquidation or cessation of trade of any company, individual or firm mentioned is hereby excluded.

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Inside this issue

Inside this issue

News 4-15

Pitch to Win 16-17

World Cup turf suppliers 22-25

Mowing 19-22, 24-27

Tea Break Teaser 29

Whitgift School 30-35 Aeration 38-41

Gleneagles 30-35

BTME review 36-41

Phil Wright 43-46

Diary of a Golfing Nobody 42 As seen on

BTME preview and listing 48-63 Buyers’ Guide 64-66 Shout 67 Check out our website: www.turfmatters.co.uk Next magazine distributed March 2023

HOWARDSON ACQUIRE LLOYDS MOWERS AND HUNTER GRINDERS

Howardson Group, manufacturers of the Dennis and SISIS range of grounds maintenance equipment, have acquired Lloyds Mowers of Letchworth and Hunter Grinders.

This strategic alliance builds on the Dennis range of mowers with the addition of the Lloyds Paladin cylinder mower - renowned for cricket, bowls and golf along with the trailed Leda and Giant gangs.

Hunter Grinders is known worldwide in golf and stadia for their superior grinding performance on cutting cylinders and bottom blades.

“We see a lot of potential with both brands,” said Ian Howard MD of Howardson Group.

“We have been in discussion with Lloyds for quite some time. We consider the brands much like our existing ones - well built, designed to do the job and with longevity.”

Clive Nottingham, the wellknown face of Lloyds and Hunters, will work closely with the Howardson senior management team as the two brands are embedded into the wider group of companies at Kirk Langley.

Television fame for your favourite magazine

It was always a joke in the MacCallum household that one of my magazines would eventually feature on Have I Got News For You

I was always a little conflicted because, while I’d been a fan of the show since it was first aired in 1990, I also knew that many of the publications featured brought new meaning to the term “niche” and that they were there to be laughed at.

Well.

I’m here to tell you that Turf Matters did feature on the recent series of HIGNFY, or to be more precise, HIGABMNFY.

I was approached by a programme researcher the Monday of Saltex week and asked if I would be

happy for Turf Matters to be considered for the show. Having had a similar request a couple of times before, only to be overlooked I didn’t get overly excited.

However, I was told that this time it was very likely that we would be featuring that same week, and with Gary Neville the guest presenter, and the World Cup about to start, I could see why they might want a sports-focussed Guest Publication.

Suitably encouraged, I awaited positive news of our appearance of the show, which featured as guests, Richard Madeley and comedian, Maisie Adam. What transpired hit the national headlines and, to

ETESIA LAUNCHES NEW HYDRO 80 MODEL

Etesia UK has launched the Hydro 80 MKHPF ride-on mower which has been designed specifically for long, rough grass areas.

The new MKHPF combines the working comfort of a Hydro 80 with the mowing power of the ATTILA SKD brushcutter.

The MKHPF can mow in any weather and is the ideal model for users with high mowing demands. Compact, flexible and efficient, the new Hydro 80 MKHPF is suitable for mowing any terrain.

It boasts four cutting heights for perfect mowing from 50 to 92 mm. Furthermore, its extremely short turning radius makes it ideal for small areas or heavily wooded fields.

The Hydro 80 MKHPF has been built with the operator in mind and is extremely user friendly. It boasts hydrostatic transmission for instant advancing, reversing, and braking with differential lock; easy maintenance thanks to quick access to all mechanical parts; perfect visibility of the working environment and all functions are accessible from the driver’s seat.

The powerful Kawasaki engine, based on the latest technology, ensures a very high quality of work.

a certain extent, kyboshed our moment in the spotlight.

Ian Hislop ambushed Gary Neville about his Qatar stance and upcoming World Cup punditry stint, and the ensuing debate took a couple of minutes of programme time and Turf Matters lost out in the edit.

However, we were “on”, and appeared on the episode of Have I Got A Bit More News For You which was broadcast the following Monday evening, albeit around midnight!

What was gratifying, was that the title wasn’t ridiculed and three issues on Turf Matters were presented on the familiar red HIGNFY background –and looked great!

Scott MacCallum

The chassis of the MKHPF has already proven itself in the Hydro 80 models, and the bumper has been reinforced and adapted for mowing so that the MKHPF can pass through even the tallest grass.

This robustness is also apparent in the Hydro’s mastershock mowing deck. It is impact resistant and durable. Steel reinforcements on both sides allow for a side opening for easy cleaning of the interior of the housing and for sharpening the blades. It is also corrosion resistant.

GroundsFest gains momentum

Following the announcement of GroundsFest an influx of exhibitors have committed to the event.

Taking place at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on 20-21 September, and dubbed as the event the industry has been waiting for, GroundsFest will bring together all grounds management sectors to build communities, nurture collaboration, and facilitate relationships that last.

The legacy of GroundsFest is also taking shape with profits going towards encouraging new people into the industry through funding apprenticeship programmes and also mental health first aid training specifically for grounds staff, greenkeepers and landscapers.

The trade’s top brands, suppliers, manufacturers, service providers and distributors will showcase and demonstrate their latest products at the event, which also features live working stations and a free education programme with an

accredited training provider.

Commenting on Campey Turf Care Systems’ decision to exhibit at GroundsFest, Chairman Richard Campey said that the idea of a groundscare event in the UK which combines indoor and outdoor stand space, was particularly appealing.

“There is no better way to prove how good your products are than to show them in action. This is what our customers ask for and we are delighted to be able to fill that request.”

Guy Overton, Director of Overton UK, was also upbeat: “GroundsFest is a refreshing and exciting concept which will enable us to demonstrate our wide product portfolio in an outdoor setting. It is a great venue, at the right time of year, and we are really looking forward to it.”

Simon Christensen, Head of Marketing for Turf Tank, is looking forward to demonstrating the

company’s innovative technology.

“We are excited to join GroundsFest 2023! As an outdoor show, we believe this to be the perfect environment for grounds managers to interact with machinery and see it live. We’re looking forward to meeting everyone in September and showing the Turf Tank robot in action!”

Charles Neale, GroundsFest’s Sales Director, is delighted with how the event is progressing.

“The support we have received for the event has been overwhelming – particularly so early in the show cycle. We are receiving new exhibitor enquiries daily and a large percentage of the floorplan has already been allocated.

“We have researched the market, talking to both exhibitors and visitors, listening, and learning, and feel confident that GroundsFest will deliver the best possible experience across its two days.” n www.groundsfest.com

Brilliant memories of the old Wembley

Don Gallacher was Head Groundsman at the old Wembley Stadium from 1974 to 1985 – a period which covered the Scottish pitch invasion of 1977, Live Aid, and a host of international matches and huge finals in a range of sports.

In a labour of love Don’s son, Colin, has taken Don’s diaries and pulled together an entertaining tale of a remarkable decade, not just for his father, but for the Stadium itself.

The book takes us through Don’s early life, as the son of a groundsman, to his time at Tottenham Hotspur, his tentative and speculative application for the Wembley job and how, having got the role, how he moved maintenance practices at Wembley into the modern age.

His words will resonate with so many groundsmen up and down the country and the stories from behind the scenes will bring many a knowing chuckle.

Broken down into chapters, each with a snappy title, the book takes us through Don’s life and career, touching on many event and matches which we can all recall but for which Don has the inside track.

None more so than that 1977 Home International when Scotland defeated England 2-1 and delirious fans stormed the pitch and took turf and posts and corner flags home as souvenirs.

The fact that the match was played shows the dedication and ingenuity of groundsmen and the downright pig-headedness of the breed not to be beaten by any problem or challenge.

Colin has done a fabulous job of bringing his dad’s stories to life and the book is a fitting tribute, not just to Don, but to all groundsmen and women.

Available on Amazon as a hardcover (£14.99), a paperback (£10.99) or Kindle (£1.25) editions.

Safeguarding against slips and trips

Wrapping chicken wire around a sleeper to prevent someone from slipping on hazardous elevated stepped access, or tripping or falling from steep sided tees just doesn’t solve the problem, it contributes to it, as do many other cheaper methods on railway sleepers and new laid steps.

For many years now GripClad is synonymous with pedestrian safety in golf courses. Over 850 Golf clubs in the UK and Europe have been supplied a well proven long-term solution and there is a good chance your neighbouring golf club uses it.

There are clubs who have no choice but to cut corners by realising that there are potential slip hazards but use inferior materials that don’t actually work, so this is a false economy. You get what you pay for as they say, Buying the right product now means making immediate savings now. GripClad have golf clubs that have had these antislip sheets down in excess of 15 years and they still look like they were put down yesterday. Showing no signs of wear or tear, and totally weatherproof, frost proof, and spike proof.

The risk of slip accidents is serious enough, the cost in prevention is very low compared to any potential claim that can run into thousands of pounds if it goes to court.

GripClad provides an extremely tough 4.0mm thick rigid tread designed for the long term.

This product solves slippery problems better than any other method being used. If you have wet sleepers, slippery footbridges, damp ramps then this is the product for you. It is easy to fit with a few screws and has no weak spots, no chipping, no peel back, no layering, just the toughest, most durable, and longer lasting antislip product available n gripclad.co.uk/ industries/golf-industry/

Go to YouTube.com, search for ‘Turf Matters’ and find out why we’re our industry’s most watched channel. New, views, glimpses behind the scenes and opinions from those at grass roots level, to those at the top of their game.

More than a magazine… our cameras search out and bring you stories from across the UK

People with something to say, say it on the Turf Matters YouTube channel

Green tree huggers launched

Agrovista Amenity has launched Tree Hugger Biodegradable Shelters - a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to plastic tree shelters or guards.

Made from organic cotton encapsulated in renewable pine tree rosin, the Tree Hugger Biodegradable Shelters have a minimum five-year lifespan

giving the tree valuable protection during its critical establishment period.

They will completely biodegrade at the end of their lifespan meaning that the removal of single use plastic shelters is no longer required, saving time and money, and ultimately reducing the amount of plastic waste that is left in the environment.

The woven material structure provides strong protection against damage from grazing animals but is gentle on the plant offering little friction which could cause damage to the newly planted whip.

Agrovista Amenity has partnered with BMP Europe, the inventor and manufacturer of the Tree Hugger, and will be exclusively distributing the product.

“BMP Europe has a rich history in processing polymers and textile materials and has manufactured a product of the highest quality which meets all the criteria of a biodegradable guard, “ said Ed Smith, Landscape Team Manager for Agrovista Amenity.

“Our visions align - we have established a great partnership and we are looking forward to where we can take it.

“Plastic guards are further adding to a growing problem which is plastic pollution in the environment and there is a big movement towards sustainable planting.”

They are available in two different heights: 0.6m which protect against small browsing animals such as rabbits and 1.2m which protect against larger grazing animals such as deer.

Agrovista Amenity also distributes WhiptecBio tree and hedge guards which offer a smaller alternative to the Tree Hugger Biodegradable Shelters.

ICL tank mix ‘radically improves’ greens at Houghwood Golf Club

In less than a year, an ICL fortnightly tank-mix has radically improved the greens at Houghwood Golf Club according to Head Greenkeeper Michael Abbott.

“When I show photos of the greens last September compared to this September, people cannot believe it,” said Michael, pictured, who has worked at Houghwood for 22 years.

Michael has seen the young course develop into one of the best in the area. Based in Lancashire, the course is an 18-hole, private, parkland golf course and was the creation of two farmers in 1994.

Michael and his team of three have their challenges –particularly with some parts of the course which consists of heavy clay. He admits that his small team can feel

stretched at times, and it is for this reason that he likes to be as prepared as possible.

“We believe we can tackle any task put in front of us and I feel our experience is invaluable,” he said.

“From a management point of view, I like having a plan in place and ICL has given me a superb integrated turf management (ITM) plan to follow.”

Houghwood’s ITM programme was devised by ICL Technical

Area Sales Manager Rob Ainscough and was based on the results of soil testing.

As part of the programme, Michael applies a fortnightly tank-mix on his greens which consists of Sportsmaster WSF Spring & Summer 28-5-19+TE, H2Pro TriSmart, Vitalnova Links and Primo Maxx II.

The 4-way tank-mix offers balanced nutrition for responsible growth and plant health through the playing

season, residual wetting agent to allow consistent dry down of surfaces and avoid dry patch development; growth regulator to improve turf density and wear tolerance; biostimulants in the form of seaweed and carbohydrates to promote increased rooting, improve stress tolerance and increase microbial activity to improve nutrient cycling in the rootzone.

“Since using this tankmix, I’ve noticed improved playability. There are no bare areas, no moss, just a nice, lovely coverage with great colour throughout all the greens., said Michael.

“It gives us consistency throughout the year with no flushes of growth and applying it fortnightly saves us time – which is another major reason for using the mixture.” n www.icl-sf.co.uk

Why I opted for Pellenc equipment

Tony Chalkley, General Manager of D. Horne Services, has explained why he chose Pellenc above other brands of batterypowered equipment.

“The products have been 100% in every single way,” he said.

The Ayrshire company offers grounds maintenance and management services to a diverse client base.

“We’ve been looking for alternatives to machinery using fossil fuels. It is important to us to be able to promote zero

emissions, and there are many other benefits to using electric equipment.

“We contacted our local Pellenc dealer, Agrovista Amenity, and they set up a demo. We researched other battery-powered products, but we were so impressed by the demonstration that we felt the Pellenc equipment would be best for us.”

The Pellenc range features an impressive portfolio – from chainsaws, pole saws and hedge cutters to grass

strimmers, brushcutters, blowers and mowers.

“We work very close to offices, and it is essential to be able to cut grass, strim, and maintain the areas without disturbing the client. The Pellenc equipment enables us to do this because it is so quiet.

“Another reason is because fuel prices are escalating. The savings that we are making compared to fossil fuels, is significant.”

Tony’s Pellenc fleet features Rasion mowers,

Helion hedge-cutters, Excelion strimmers and Airion blowers – and he can’t imagine ever switching back to petrolbased machinery.

“These Pellenc tools easily go on for hours on end with a full battery life. You don’t get the vibrations, they are lightweight and easy to use, and we’ve never had any issues whatsoever. The difference between this equipment and petrol-based machinery is night and day.” n www.pellencuk.com

Dennis brings ideas to life

After comparing various batterypowered cylinder mowers, Head Groundsman of Bundesliga football club VfL Wolfsburg, Peter Sauer, has chosen the new Dennis ES-860.

“Technology in this industry is evolving faster and faster and electric equipment is at the forefront,” said Peter, pictured above.

“It is important to speak to all the manufacturers to identify any new and upcoming products. I want to be involved and am always asking to test products, so if there is something I like, I can then plan accordingly to put it into my budget.

“Dennis Mowers is a company that really listens to their customers. They then put those ideas into their machines.”

Peter, who has also been a greenkeeper and worked at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, admitted to being excited when he first heard that Dennis was developing a range

of battery-powered equipment. Ever the perfectionist, he flew to England to find out more.

“I first got to see the ES-860 cylinder mower in action at Derby County FC. It was great to see it working on a pitch as it gives you a better idea of how it will perform as opposed to seeing it in the factory. Dennis then brought it over to Germany and we tested it, and we knew it was going to be a great machine. We purchased two of them.”

The ES-860 is a 34” battery powered turf management system which delivers maximum versatility and the range of 13 interchangeable cassette options provide a solution to many day-to-day maintenance tasks.

Furthermore, traditional G860 cassettes will also fit into the ES860, meaning that customers will not have to purchase additional cassettes, something which Peter was impressed with.

“We did try other brands of battery-powered mowers, but I was not as happy with them. I also really like the fact that we can use the G860 cassettes with the ES860. I have the brush cassette, the spiker, the spring tine rake, and a couple of other cassettes, so it was a big bonus not having to purchase any new cassettes.”

The aim with the Dennis E-Series is to help professionals meet sustainability and environmental

initiatives, reduce carbon footprint emissions, running costs and noise without any range anxiety. Peter believes the ES-860 certainly ticks all the boxes.

“The battery life is incredible – they hold long enough without having to charge them regularly. In fact, we never have to worry about them running out and we can comfortably mow up to two and a half, maybe three pitches on one single charge.

“They are much better for the person using them too. Vibration levels are very low, and you obviously get far less noise – I often have my earphones in and can still take phone calls when using the ES-860. They have had a huge impact and every member of staff loves the ES-860s – no-one wants to use petrol mowers anymore.”

The well-respected Peter, who started his career in chemistry before turning to turf management, also praised the consistency and quality of the Dennis ES-860s.

“With petrol mowers everyone drives at a different speed so the cuts per square metre are always different. However, with the ES860 you can set the speed of the mower. This means that you get good consistency with everyone achieving the same number of cuts per square metre. Quality wise it is the same as a Dennis petrol cylinder mower or even better.”

Innovation award winner enjoys real world success

Ayear since Enclean won a top innovation award at Saltex 2021 and commercial usage backs up its performance with positive user feedback.

Enclean is a unique sustainable biocide ideal for de-greening a wide range of surfaces in the Amenity sector. It is a plant originbased biocide from Certis Belchim which is marketed and distributed by Origin Amenity Solutions.

“The successful launch of the product in 2020 has culminated in recent approval for use by Organic Farmers and Growers across all organic systems,” said Peter Corbett, of Origin Amenity Solutions.

Having witnessed the development of Enclean from initial trials Peter is well placed to discuss the new biocide, now widely heralded as a ‘game-changer’ in the professional biocide market.

Peter, who manages the Chemical Products portfolio for Origin Amenity Solutions, first saw the biocide in its development phase in 2017 and was impressed with both its speed of action in eradicating algae and its positive effect on dealing with other green deposits that built up on hard, porous and wooden surfaces.

MANY BIOCIDES CANNOT BE APPLIED IN FROSTY CONDITIONS… BUT WITH ENCLEAN THE APPLICATION WINDOW IS MUCH WIDER

“From the outset when trials began on the active Nonanoic acid, from which Enclean is derived, I saw the potential for this unique Biocide. As a company, we recognised that there was a gap in the biocide market for an efficacious, sustainable, and easy-to-use product.”

Most de-greening biocides/surface cleaners are applied in large volumes of both active ingredient i.e. product circa 100 litres plus per Ha combined with circa 1,000 to 2,000 l/ha of water to control algae and green deposits. The active ingredients used in the formulation of most hard surface cleaners are based on chemically synthesised quaternary

ammonia-based products.

These actives, despite being used for many years, are not registered under the latest GB biocide products registrations (BPR). Many experts and environmentalists are concerned about this group, due to the quantities being applied, and the danger to the aquatic environment. Water Authorities and the Environment Agency are picking up these actives in surface waters, so it is very possible that the use of these actives will be severely restricted in the future.

Enclean is fundamentally different in that it can be applied at low water volumes. Compared to most traditional biocide products, only a fifth to a tenth of the spray volume needs to be applied. One litre of Enclean mixed with 14 litres of water will treat 555m 2. The product can be applied using any pressure knapsack fitted with the correct nozzles.

“Enclean is plant derived, safe to use, and it has no environmental hazard classification. It is fast acting and, once applied, it quickly degrades into natural elements without leaving harmful residue. Using a red 80-degree nozzle and maintaining the correct speed of application, 555m 2 of coverage is readily achievable; this is especially important for sprayer contractors who need to limit downtime spent on refilling” he said.

The key customer feedback on Enclean that Peter noted is the speed of activity and the wider range of weather conditions that the biocide can be successfully applied in.

“Many traditional biocides cannot be applied in frosty conditions, or within 24 hours of rain. But with Enclean the application window is much wider, and very good results can be achieved even when temperature and weather conditions are far from perfect. The most important factor is correct dilution and application of the product and a few hours for the spray solution to dry.”

Peter Todd, Director, and Estates Manager at Royal Norwich Golf Club, explained that during the

2020/21 lockdown the clubhouse patio became covered with algae.

“Due predominantly to lack of footfall, our high-quality stone slabs had become discoloured and dangerously slippery when wet. We sprayed with Enclean and over the next two to three days the algae had been controlled and the wet surface was no longer slippery, thus removing a real hazard.

“Enclean removed the algae completely giving us lasting control, with no detrimental effect on the stone. The treated area remained clean and the surface regained its original colour, despite the cold and wet conditions in February/March being less than ideal for biocide application. We also applied the product at the front of the building

where the porous surface had a mixture of algae and moss. Again, the control was rapid despite the wet and cold weather conditions. Using a shroud on the knapsack boom allowed us to spray neatly and obtain a sharp edge alongside the fine grass,” said Peter

Royal Norwich is now a regular user of this product. They also use Enclean to keep signage and course equipment in shaded areas free from green growth. This includes the turf centre, which is shaded and prone to algae infestation which can make the building look unkempt.

The University of Nottingham, has been named the best university in the UK for sports, several times in a row. Furthermore, its outstanding facilities and world-class academics enable students to excel on every level. With such an array of resources at their disposal, students are able to pursue their dreams while also having access to a wide range of recreational activities that keep them active and inspired.

Providing a world-class sports programme for such a distinguished institution is no easy job.

The seven members in the grounds crew frequently found themselves up against the clock to finish the pitches on time. On top of that, the university faced a big challenge in finding grounds people with an extensive knowledge of turf

management for all the different sports the university offers.

The University of Nottingham decided to automate their line marking operations, so in the summer of 2022 they got their Turf Tank line marking robot. The Turf Tank proved to be an indispensable tool for their sports programmes, which greatly improved the grounds crew’s productivity and resource management.

Peter Bullimore is the Sport and Sutton Bonington Operations Manager who oversees the maintenance of all the sport facilities for the university.

Thinking about the challenges they faced when manual marking their pitches, Peter highlights the continuous time pressure the grounds crew experiences, especially during busy periods, when the university hosts a lot of different sports events.

“Through summer, we have quite a few tournaments so we’re going weekend to weekend. We very rarely get a break,” said Peter.

“Last year we had three separate events within a five-day period. We’re only a seven-man team. So if I’m having to lose two guys for marking out minimum, you’re losing another two guys for mowing, another few guys for looking after everything else. It just

would not be feasible, honestly.

“Usually it will take us over three weeks, to get the basic football and rugby through summer. But now with the Turf Tank we can get it into just about a week, for one person, as previously it was three weeks with two people –massive time savings,” he said.

Peter takes the examples of a rugby pitch to do a clear comparison. Before, two people would manually mark the pitch and it used to take them three hours. With the Turf Tank robot, marking the same pitch will take only 30 minutes.

It’s the same for a football pitch.

“You can mark out a football pitch in 25 minutes from scratch. Whereas the quickest I’ve done conventionally takes an hour and a half, with two blokes.”

Not only can the crew mark the sports in record time, making sure their pitches are always ready for their sports events, but they are also free now to take care of other tasks around the facility.

The university has always been dedicated to being more sustainable, even more so as the conversation about our environmental impact gains more and more attention. So in order to stay true to their sustainability mission, the university has to prove the environmental impact of any

Turf Tank’s line marking robot

equipment before they can buy it.

“We won’t get any capital funds unless we can prove that it’s going to be sustainable for the environment and probably cheaper to run as well”, Peter explained.

Before they could get a Turf Tank, the university had to understand the environmental impact of this new technology. And they were delighted to see the comparison with their traditional line marking methods.

“Currently, with the setup we’re using with the Turf Tank, we can mark out two and a half pitches per 10 litres. Whereas in the past, if you go back to strings, the push markers will use something like 7.5 litres per pitch.”

Peter also tells how they started with a robot from another brand, but the superiority of the technology the Turf Tank robot uses popped up, especially in more challenging conditions.

“The accuracy is far better, far

superior, especially on the trees.

On most of our sites, we’ve got trees. With the Turf Tank, we can literally mark up to about three, four metres away from trees, and it doesn’t have a problem. It’s just straight lines everywhere.”

Peter is proud that the university employs highly skilled staff for their grounds maintenance, but usually those have a football or rugby background. As he explains, it is difficult to find people that can have complete turf management

knowledge for every imaginable sport. And for a university which offers a great variety of sports, that is a big limitation.

But with their Turf Tank robot, they haven’t had to worry about that anymore.

The robot comes preprogrammed with layouts for all sports — all with the correct dimensions according to the regulations of the governing bodies. Now, the university can rest assured that all of their pitches, from football and rugby, to lacrosse, frisbee, American football, rugby league and more, will have perfect lines with minimum effort.

Plus, with the time saved on actual line marking, the crew is free to focus their attention on improving the facilities in other areas.

“On one of their sites they have tennis courts, which used to get neglected in the past. But now I’ve got staff that can go and do that.”

Dispatch sprayable’s role in winter pitch management

Climatic weather patterns continue to shift towards more frequent, heavier rainfall events and wetter winters. This coupled with hotter, drier summers is making pitch management increasingly difficult. Wet weather can quickly turn pitches that were previously rock hard and dry into soft, wet, muddy surfaces following even low levels of play on poorly draining soils. In addition, end of season repairs can be disrupted by dry springs and hot summers restricting turf surface recovery through seeded or worn areas, especially on un-irrigated pitches.

Research completed by Baker, Gibbs & Adams looked at levels of use which could be sustained on pitches of different construction types. This work indicated that well maintained, soil based, undrained pitches could support an average of 3.5-4.0 hours a week of adultequivalent use without deteriorating, pipe drained + slit drained pitches

could cope with an average of 4.5-5.0 hours a week whereas rootzone based pitches could support 9.5-10.0 hours a week of play.

However, for the bulk of turf managers typically looking after well used, soil based, undrained or pipe drained pitches, maintaining dry surfaces through winter is extremely difficult. Installing additional drainage is expensive and not surprisingly the cost has been on the rise with increased aggregate and material costs driving up prices. Consequently, for many sports clubs, schools or local authorities, installing new drainage is not affordable at the current time.

Pitch managers must therefore think creatively and employ well timed, proven, mechanical aeration techniques such as deep tine aeration and sand top dressing to improve the speed of water movement away from turf surfaces as quickly as possible. Surfactants have a role to play here.

Water management is a yearround concern that should be controlled to maximise surface performance, the growing environment and to avoid turf injury. During autumn and winter, soil moisture consistency, uniformity and stability continue to influence the health and performance of both soil and turf playing surface.

Surfactant technology has been available within the turfgrass industry for over 60 years to deliver greater control over spring and summer moisture levels and for dealing with established localised dry spot activity or dry patch primarily on fine turf surfaces. Spring and summer performance of wetting agents in turfgrass management has been widely researched and documented with Aquatrols being an industry leader throughout this period. Employing this technology during spring pitch renovation, particularly when seeding has been

completed has been demonstrated to be extremely effective.

However, over the past few years, turf managers in the UK and Europe have started using penetrant wetting agents to help improve surface infiltration and drainage rates more effectively through the late autumn and winter months on sports pitches and golf fairways – turf surfaces that usually receive little in the way of routine maintenance. Aquatrols have made significant investment in research within this area, however the results have been less widely discussed.

Dispatch Sprayable has been proven to work, with robust data from trials conducted at leading research bodies including Ohio State University and Cranfield University. The research provides evidence that the use of Aquatrols Dispatch Sprayable:

• Significantly increases infiltration rates of water

• Significantly reduces surface water run-off on sloped areas.

The study conducted at Ohio State University to evaluate the effects of Dispatch Sprayable applications on water run-off was completed on a bent grass sward, mown at 15 mm on a 4% slope with a loam soil profile. Run-off was collected following each rainfall event and research results proved that Dispatch Sprayable reduced run-off by 20% over control plots and consequently low-lying areas remained drier.

The application of a penetrant therefore increases the amount of water infiltrating into the ground at point of contact and reduces runoff onto lower lying areas, thereby helping to keep sports pitches drier and in better condition through high rainfall periods. The benefits for a sports facility using this surfactant technology are drier, firmer surfaces and a reduction in damage from play on overly wet, muddy pitches. With less winter damage, end of season renovation costs are reduced particularly in respect of seed and fertiliser inputs. In addition, recovery times are also reduced. Many wetting agents sold

as penetrants contain anionic surfactants due to their fast-acting properties and consequently these products can scorch turf under certain conditions. However, the chemistries used in Dispatch Sprayable ensure that it is safe to apply at any time of year without any risk of turf damage. Dispatch Sprayable can also be applied during spring or summer months without being watered in and is still totally safe for all turf types. Dispatch Sprayable is a patented, synergistic blend of an alkoxylated polyol and glucoether surfactant. It is the unique blend of the alkoxylated polyol and the glucoether that work together and result in a dramatic improvement in water penetration rates compared to other straight block polymer products. The combination of the two surfactants has been shown to be better than either polymer alone, confirming that the formulation is greater than the sum of its parts, as detailed in the graph, below right.

COST AND APPLICATION GUIDE

Application Rate: 1.75 litres in 400 litres of water per hectare Dispatch Sprayable is a low application rate penetrant wetting agent costing in the region of £50 per hectare or £30 per full size football pitch with the recommendation to apply at least three times over autumn and winter. This low-cost product has been proven through independent research to produce drier and consequently firmer, better grassed turf surfaces.

BENEFITS OF AUTUMN AND WINTER APPLICATIONS OF DISPATCH SPRAYABLE IN PITCH MAINTENANCE

• Firmer, drier playing surfaces

• Improved surface playability

• Faster, more uniform penetration of any rainfall and/or snowmelt

• Reduced effect of frost conditions

• Improved soil moisture uniformity

• Healthier, more consistent turf before dormancy sets in.

THE AQUATROLS MISSION

Aquatrols is committed to pioneering new methods that advance soil and plant health for turf, agriculture and horticulture. As autumn and winter weather conditions make the development and retention of high-quality playing surfaces progressively more difficult, the use of surfactant technology can have a critical role to play in sports pitch management. n For more information, please contact your local Aquatrols Account Manager.

Make a commitment to turf health and reap the benefits

In simple terms, investing in grinding machinery to sharpen your mower blades could be the key to unlocking the full potential of your turf. Purchasing a set of grinding machines is a long-term commitment to superior turf health and financial savings. So, what’s the point in sharpening mower blades? Well, like any cutting instrument, mower blades become worn and

damaged after prolonged use.

The overarching reason for sharpening mower blades is to create the very best growing environment for healthy grass. By accurately slicing the grass with sharp mower blades, almost like a shearing action, you create a perfectly clean cut. The contrast to this would be using a worn or damaged mower blade. That would deliver more of a ripping action when cutting the grass.

Think about your skin. If you are cut with a scalpel during surgery it would deliver a clean cut leaving minimal scarring and recovery time. It is the same with grass.

With less damage, turf is far less susceptible to disease and a lesser need for chemicals, nutrients and water.

You’ll also be able to achieve a really consistent growth pattern across your course or pitch with

perfectly cut turf with no weak spots. Overall, this makes for a far superior aesthetic and for those managing the likes of football and rugby pitches, having a healthier grass plant will also add to the durability of the playing surface.

Having your own set of grinding machines in your maintenance shed is also great from a logistics and financial perspective. By owning a set of grinding machines, you will be able to avoid the costs of off-site grinding and take back control of your maintenance programme.

Sending off mowing equipment for sharpening can be expensive. Couple that with unforeseen incidents that would cause mowers to need extra sharpenin, and maintenance can quickly become very costly. With a set of grinders in the workshop, you can fix, grind, and have your mowers back out cutting in less than an hour. n www.bernhard.co.uk

Keeping cutting units sharp and maximise efficiency

Ian

relief grinding maximises performance:

A vital question for a workshop manager is how to maximise efficiency, minimise labour and maintenance equipment costs. One area to achieve excellent savings is to look at how you maintain the sharpness of your cutting units.

Firstly, why is having sharp cylinders (reels) that are the correct shape so important anyway? The answer is obvious – unhealthy turf brings a whole host of other issues which are costly to correct. Therefore, prevention is a far more economic approach than a cure.

A huge amount of R&D has gone into designing a cutting unit to produce the cleanest cut possible.

Why relief grind?

Tests have established that relief ground cylinders stay on cut up to three times longer than

spun ground ones and require less horse power to drive the unit. In addition, a relief ground cylinder will withstand the abrasive effects of top dressing far better.

Relief grinding your cutting units saves you money, not only by

reducing workshop maintenance time with far fewer grinds but also through a reduction in fuel costs and replacement parts.

Typically, when a new mower is delivered the reels will be a perfect cylindrical shape. Over time the blade naturally loses shape and the sharp edge it arrives with becomes flat and dull, often meaning the reel is no longer a perfect cylinder from end to end. This is referred to as ‘coning’ and a natural point for grinding to take place. If there is sufficient relief still on the reel then a quick touch-up is fine, but once more than 50% of the relief has gone my advice would be to relief grind again and remove any coning.

Foley machines are set-up for both choices, and some models, such as the ACCU-Sharp, ACCUPro and ACCU-Master, have automatic grinding pre-sets and adjustment systems to decrease time and labour.

Robson of ProSport UK Ltd, the UK & Ireland’s Foley distributer, explains why

ATLAS: On top of

Jimmy Buffett’s famous song “It’s Five o’Clock Somewhere” has helped many of us out, when looking for an excuse to crack open a bottle of something at an unconventional time.

It may be that John Holmes had the memorable lyrics in mind when at around 1.30pm at his home, in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, December 18, he was torn between unleashing a magnum of champagne, a nice bottle of Californian chardonnay, a can of Budweiser or a shot of Kentucky bourbon.

And who could have blamed him. Because, while like billions of others across the globe he had just watched the culmination of one of the most fantastic and dramatic sporting events in history, for John his involvement was more than just that of interested sports fan.

John is the Founder of Atlas Turf International, the company which supplied the turf for all eight stadiums which hosted all 64 matches, plus every training facility used during the tournament.

This particular World Cup final was hugely anticipated, as it matched the reigning World Champions, France, against the South American Champions, and many people’s pre-tournament favourites, Argentina. But not only that, it brought together the two respective Number 10s, the top players of the tournament –23-year-old superstar, Kylian Mbappi and Lionel Messi, who was hoping put the cherry on top of his footballing CV and confirm his position as the GOAT.

Now often when the stars do align in such a fashion the ultimate

outcome can be a damp squib, but not this time around. The match was a sensation. Argentina went into a two-goal first-half lead, only for France to galvanise themselves in the second half and draw level, forcing extra time. Again Argentina took the lead with France equalising again, with only minutes remaining, forcing a penalty shootout. Argentina held their nerve the better and ignited remarkable scenes of jubilation not only in the Stadium, but in Buenos Aires and across the rest of South America.

Messi had scored two of the goals, plus his allotted penalty in the shootout, while Mbappi scored all three of France’s goals, plus his additional spot kick.

It will go down as arguably the greatest final ever and will even put itself in the mix as one of the

Scott MacCallum catches up with John Holmes, whose company, Atlas Turf International, provided the turf for the Qatar World Cup

the world

greatest of all sporting events ever.

“First of all, congratulations to Argentina for such a wonderful match with France,” said John, when we spoke via Zoom the day after the final.

“We are absolutely elated at the quality of the pitches. They looked great throughout the tournament, as did the practice pitches, which get a lot more use than those in the stadiums,” said John, whose regular weekly updates from FIFA on the pitches were universally positive.

John can talk knowledgeably about football, or soccer, in his language, but his background is very much linked with a much smaller ball.

Before Atlas Turf, which he founded in 2011, John’s career included experience as a golf course superintendent at championship courses hosting both PGA and USGA

events. He also spent eight years in the golf course construction industry. He was directly responsible for building 19 golf courses in North America and Asia, designed by some of the industry’s top architects.

So how did this experience lead to providing the perfect surface for the greatest show on earth?

“It was quite a journey. Back in 2012 we receive an enquiry from Aspire Zone, in Qatar, who wanted to try some of our Paspalum – our Platinum TE – on one of their training pitches. We sent some over and then, six months later when I was in the region, I visited to see how things were going. They were ecstatic about how well it was performing and coping with the challenges of heat and water quality,” said John, who has seen the company grow from niche to global in the last 10 years..

Around this time the controversial selection process for the 2022 World Cup was reaching its conclusion and when Qatar got the nod, Aspire Sports Turf, working with our own STRI (check out the Nov/Dec 2022 issue of Turf Matters) began trialling to select a turf grass for the Finals.

“It was a really amazing process, narrowing down to what ultimately would be used, not just in the Stadiums but all the

practice pitches, and I was fortunate enough to watch these trials take place over the course of a couple of years. Finally it was decided that what would work best would be our Platinum TE, Paspalum.

“But even after it was selected we didn’t really realise the magnitude of what the World Cup would be like. Eight stadiums and 81 practice facilities later, we knew…”

A curve ball was thrown at everyone, from stadium designers, agronomists, fixture planners and even Santa Claus, when the event was moved from its traditional slot of July and August

to November and December, but John had every confidence that his grass variety would cope.

“The interesting thing about Platinum TE is that it does really well in cool months. If temperatures get as cold as eight degrees the roots will still grow and there is still some top growth,” said John, who added that Platinum TE had been available for 16 years and been used predominately in golf, seldom on stadiums or pitches in general.

While the Paspalum provided the bulk of the sward, a FIFA mandate dictates that all pitches are overseeded with Rye grass, but

even then Atlas had an influence.

“Our partners, Oregon-based Pure Seed, provided all the overseeding Rye Grass for the tournament.”

Post-World Cup, John is relieved that none of the issues which had concerned him in the lead up came to fruition.

“There is always the concern that a player will be injured as a result of a problem on the pitch but I was also concerned that in early October the weather is still quite warm. So we had the warm season Paspalum competing with the Pure Sport Rye grass. As it turned out I couldn’t really tell on TV and although there

was some very healthy Paspalum in there and some very healthy Rye grass it wasn’t a problem, although it was one of my original concerns.”

As every turf manager in the world will know, when TV pundits and “experts” have airtime to fill, anything can happen and midway through the tournament we heard talk of paint, or dye, being used – a la Augusta National – to colour the pitches.

“I don’t know if it was coloured. I do know that genetically the Rye grass is a dark green and that TV have lenses that can make colours look different. They may also

have used pigmented fungicide markers. But who cares?

As much as it is about the turf for us, it really was about the experience for the players and the fans and if they did colour turf it certainly didn’t do any harm.”

With the next World Cup to be played predominately in the USA, one would have thought that Atlas Turf International would be well placed to continue their involvement.

“It is a totally different set of circumstances because of the geographic locations – Canada, Mexico and the USA. All are very different as is which turf will grow. The tournament is going to be back in the summer and some of the stadiums will be enclosed.

“Time will only tell if some of our varieties will be used,” said John, before adding intriguingly: “There is also some new turf technology coming out soon, something which may be used on those pitches in 2026, which was not available for Qatar 2022.”

Having extricated a promise from John to ensure Turf Matters’ readers are first to receive news of any turf-

related developments from Atlas, we talked about the little matter of the second biggest turf-based sporting event on the planet – The Ryder Cup.

“Several years ago, during the renovation of the Marco Simone course, the design team and consultant agronomist came up with a palette of turf grasses for the warm and cool seasons. It is very different from anything played before because Rome is a transitional location. The warm season fairways are Paspalum, there is Fescue rough and the greens are Bent grass and all the turf has come from ourselves and our partners, Pure Seed. We are very excited about the Ryder Cup this September,” revealed John, who is planning to make the Ryder Cup a showcase for more business in Europe going into the future.

“We are planning to be make a bigger footprint in Europe with our cool season grasses,” he said.

With Atlas Turf International business expanding across the globe it would be fair to suggest that it is always going to be “Five o’Clock Somewhere” for John and his team.

Internet connection future proofs irrigation system

Anewly installed Hunter irrigation system, supplied by KAR UK, is part of a long-term plan to help futureproof Leicester Tigers’ Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium, according to Head Groundsman Ed Mowe.

With a CV boasting positions at Leicester City Football Club, England FA’s St George’s Park and now Leicester City Tigers, it is safe to say that Ed knows how to produce a high-quality sports pitch. He has been with the Tigers for six years and he now believes that the time has come to look to the future.

“The old surface was coming towards the end of its life span, and we are going to be hosting more games soon because we’ve got a Leicester Tigers Women’s team, who will be playing their home games here.

“So, this year, we had a new pitch constructed and we also saw an opportunity to replace all our irrigation sprinkler heads. The previous heads were old, and we were trying to replace them as they were breaking, so it just made sense to start fresh.

“Ultimately, we want to futureproof the stadium and the pitch, so it can be in the best possible shape moving forwards.”

The pitch construction was carried out by Premier Turf who worked with Prime Irrigation. It was decided that the pitch would benefit from a mixture of Hunter TTS-885 and I-80 rotors, which were supplied by KAR UK – the leading wholesaler of irrigation equipment in the UK.

The 885 rotor belongs to the Hunter TTS-800 portfolio and provides maximum uniformity and longevity. The high-torque gear drives are the strongest in the industry, so the challenges of reclaimed water use, or poor water quality are mitigated.

The TTS-885 also benefits from Hunter’s patented Total-Top-Service technology which allows for every serviceable element of the rotor to be accessed through the top.

Mechanical and electrical, big and small, you can get to every component without disturbing the playing surface. That means there’s no more digging, no more unsightly scars, and more importantly, one less item on a busy turf manager’s schedule.

Meanwhile the I-80 is built with a robust, dirt-tolerant gear drive that offers the highest torque output of any rotor in the commercial sphere, and extends a radius range from 11.3 to 29.6m. The I-80 features a wide range of highly efficient, dual-trajectory, wind-fighting nozzles for highly efficient performance in a range of applications.

To accompany the rotors, Ed opted for the mobile-friendly Centralus irrigation management platform and the Roam remote – which eliminates the need to go back and forth to the sprinkler controller. This connectivity allows you to view a controller’s status, change settings, view forecasts, save water, and receive instant notifications of important system alarms — all without costly and time-consuming travel and site visits.

“This year really has proved just how important a good irrigation system is,” said Ed.

“The rotors provide us with excellent coverage, and they are not as prone to drift. Previously we were getting a lot of drift off the old heads. They are incredibly easy to

use and maintain – you can simply pull them out and there is no digging involved. You don’t have to take them apart to alter the arcs. I’ve not had any issues with them at all and they perform excellently.

“The Centralus and the Roam remote have also been of huge benefit. It is all connected to the internet so I can easily sort out the various irrigation programmes. Having this flexibility has saved us thousands of pounds too because, if for example, I have set a programme and we get a big downpour of rain then I can simply switch it off. Also, in this respect we can target specific areas on the pitch. We just keep the remote in our pockets and if we see a dry patch or the manager wants a certain area watered, we can switch it on with the press of a button.

“Overall, I’m really impressed – and the irrigation system is absolutely helping to futureproof the pitch. It has helped to keep the moisture levels up for the grass to grow and the whole package just works for us.” n www.karuk.com

Head Groundsman Ed Mowe

A new generation of popular commercial irrigation controller

Rain Bird has introduced the ESP-LXME 2 and ESP-LXME 2 PRO modular irrigation controllers.

As an upgrade to first generation of this popular range for commercial applications, these new traditionally wired models offer additional features and user benefits with the focus on water conservation, flexibility and simplicity in use. They are compatible with Rain Bird’s IQ4 Cloud irrigation management system. Designed for new and rerofit installations, the ESPLXME 2 controller is fully modular and allows the

user to customise irrigation station capacity from 12 to 48 stations. 40 independent irrigation programs can be set with up to 10 starts per program, providing high flexibility for users in irrigation scheduling.

Water management features with the ESP-LXME 2 include FloManager which manages demand to maximise use of water and shorten total watering times. The SimulStation capability allows up to five stations to be programmed to operate at the same time. For further conservation of water, Cycle + Soak by station and a rain delay feature are included as well as a weather sensor that can be programmed by station to prevent or pause watering.

With the ESP-LXME 2 PRO model, additional flow sensing capability includes FloWatch which protects against high and low water flow conditions and LearnFlow which intuitively learns flow rates

based on real time usage. It also supports an additional booster pump through a second Master Valve or Pump Start output.

Thanks to the modularity of the controller, the ESP-LXME 2 can also be upgraded to the PRO version by installing the PRO Smart Module. This gives the user access to these additional flow management capabilities.

Users of the existing first generation ESP-LXME controller with 12 station modules can also upgrade to ESP-LXME 2 by swapping the front panel.

With IQ4-Cloud compatibility through the Pro Smart IQ Connection Module, a full suite of remote irrigation management and reporting tools are available.

These cover, for example, detailed analysis of irrigation times, total water usage and other performance data that can be created and shared.

Scott MacCallum catches up with the Independent School Grounds Team of the Year, and has his premeditated illusions shattered

Whitgift: The lesser known giant

It’s great to have a plan, a focus, a direction of travel. But just sometimes it doesn’t work out and a Plan B, or, in modern parlance, a Plan 2.0 has to be hastily deployed.

I had a scenario in mind when I was considering my interview with the Grounds team at Whitgift School, in Croydon. The guys had just won the Independent School Grounds Team of the Year, at the GMA Industry Awards and the school who they had pushed into the runners-up spot was a particularly big name.

That other school was Eton College, probably the most famous educational establishment in the world, with the most famous “playing fields” in the world, with an alumni which includes countless Prime

Ministers, Kings and Princes.

So, there it was. My angle – David triumphing over Goliath – a giant killing along the lines of Sunderland against Leeds in the 1973 FA Cup final; Buster Douglas bettering the invincible Mike Tyson in 1990; or 20-year-old amateur Francis Ouimet triumphing over Ted Ray and Harry Vardon in the 1913 US Open.

But when I started to chat with the team, the beautifully crafted story I had envisioned in advance, didn’t quite seem to fit.

Whitgift won the same award back in 2015 and were also runnersup a couple of years later. In many ways, with such an impressive record, they were the school to beat this time around, and not David

taking a speculative punt with his sling and striking the huge Goliath right between the eyes.

And the more Daniel Ratling, Grounds and Estates Manager, spoke the more my story line seemed to be disappearing further into the long grass.

“Honestly, I didn’t see it as a competition. I just wanted the work of the team here to be recognised. I did think that we had a good story to tell, but had we come second I don’t think we’d have been cut up about it,” he explained.

“The two sites are so very different. Eton is the size of a town, while we are a relatively small site. How the judges make the call I just don’t know,” said Daniel,

“HONESTLY, I DIDN’T SEE IT AS A COMPETITION. I JUST WANTED THE WORK OF THE TEAM HERE TO BE RECOGNISED. I DID THINK THAT WE HAD A GOOD STORY TO TELL, BUT HAD WE COME SECOND I DON’T THINK WE’D HAVE BEEN CUT UP ABOUT IT.”

Whitgift School are winners of the GMA Award for Grounds Team of the Year

who added that Lee Marshallsay (Grounds Manager at Eton College) had texted the very next day to pass on his congratulations.

“So, I don’t really feel that it is a David and Goliath tale.”

Thanks Daniel. No need to rub it in!

The compelling “story” that Whitgift had to tell was that of the installation of two hybrid pitches in the summer of 2021, the first of their type at any school in the UK independent school sector.

“That may well be worldwide, as we’ve not heard of any others,” explained Daniel.

The decision behind such a trail-blazing move came following extensive research and taking on board advice from industry experts.

“We also looked at other facilities. We went to the Crystal Palace Academy, which is quite close to us in South Croydon and Bruce Elliot and his team there were really helpful in sharing their experiences. We then went to Regent’s Park where they had installed a carpet hybrid which was really low input with low levels of maintenance, and it was interesting to see what they were getting out of that in terms of usage.

“What we had identified was a high usage and high input facility at Crystal Palace and a high usage and low input pitch at Regent’s Park. What we were looking for was somewhere in the middle.”

Having weighed up the options the decision was taken to go for

two hybrid pitches, the cost of which was similar to one 3G pitch.

“If you think about it, a 3G pitch will give around 35 hours of use a week for £800,000. You can build two hybrid pitches for around the same amount of money which would give 20 hours a week. Or, for a conventionally drained pitch, you might spend £150,000 but only get six hours usage a week,” explained Daniel, who has since welcomed a number of interested Schools and Grounds Managers to view the new pitches.

“We knew that what we required was covered by those 20 hours, and that the 35 3G hours weren’t needed, as we weren’t going to be hiring out the pitches to generate

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income,” said Daniel, who revealed that the construction was carried out by White Horse Contractors and the stitching by Desso GrassMaster.

With new pitches come new challenges and the maintenance requirements meant that Grounds Team Leader, Peter Booth, and Deputy, Michael Williams, were faced with a steep learning curve to get up to speed with the new demands.

“We’ve educated ourselves on the maintenance and renovation requirements of the hybrids,” explained Peter.

“It is really intensive and you must get your timings just right. The pitches do need hours of work on them to ensure that they keep performing. Accuracy with the fertiliser programme is important to keep the colour and to retain the strength in the grass. Then just keep cleaning the surface to ensure that the drainage remains free flowing.

Michael, who joined the School from Coombe Hill Golf Club in 2012, is the man responsible for the irrigation.

“The team has meetings to discuss the turf and what we are going to do to maintain and improve the pitches. So far we haven’t had any issues come to light and we’ve gone through one renovation programme and got the pitches back up and running again,” said Peter.

From a machinery perspective, new pitches do have a habit of demanding exciting new kit.

“It’s not cheap, but it is essential

if you are investing in the new surfaces, that you also invest in the correct machinery,” said Daniel.

The school is currently waiting for the arrival of three Dennis rotaries which will help the post-match clean up tasks.

“With these pitches the main operation is the vacuuming after games. Scarification and raking is dealt with through the usage levels. The rugby stud is quite a good scarifier and keeps the surface clean,” said Dan.

It currently takes two and a half hours to clean a pitch with the school’s Honda vacuum machines, time which should be markedly reduced with the arrival of the Dennis machines.

The Whitgift team is nine strong, plus two working at the nearby sports club, and together they manage football, rugby and hockey in the winter and cricket, tennis and athletics in the summer while they also look after 1.5 hectares of woodland.

Playing surfaces are of such a high standard that the Australian and New Zealand cricket teams trained at the school during the last home World Cup.

As is the case at these establishments, the Grounds Team are the go-tos when it comes to resolving most issues at the school.

“Two of the guys are currently building a summer house, while maintaining the school fence

line is a on-going task. We also handle car park management for major events,” said Peter.

With the GMA Award being for the Grounds Team of the Year it is interesting to learn from the winners, what goes into making a good team.

Who better to ask than Peter, the Grounds Team Leader.

“It takes honesty, hard work and humility. You also have to understand other people’s space and, importantly, you must all want to learn,” he said,

“You also have to accept that things don’t always go right and learn from the mistakes that are made,” said Peter, whose mentor, from his time in Scotland, was the great Alex Miller, in whose name the top GMA Award is now known.

Peter worked at Glasgow Botanic Gardens under the guidance of Alex who also ran the football team Peter played for.

“He was very good to me as a youngster.”

Peter is also an advocate for the British Cycling mantra of incremental gains, which saw the track team clinch Olympic Gold Medals at an impressive rate at recent Games.

“We talk about small margins in everything, in a bid to ensure continual improvement. When we drive out of here on a Friday afternoon with a big weekend of sport on the calendar ahead of us,

we should feel proud when we look at what we’ve prepared. If we don’t feel proud, then we need to do more.”

Peter only needs to look to his boss as a man who encapsulates what a diet of hard work and continual improvement can bring. Daniel is a shining example, not just to the rest of the team at Whitgift but to anyone in the industry, as to what can be achieved in the sector.

“I left school at 16 to work for the London Borough of Barnet as an apprentice, before going St Albans School in Hertfordshire where I worked with Ian Smith for over eight years,” he recalled.

“It was there that I started my Foundation Degree. I then moved to my first Head Groundsman job at the Honourable Artillery Company, in Central London, and it was during that time that I began studying for my Bachelor’s Degree.

“I came to Whitgift in 2015 as my second Head Groundsman job. I finished my degree and two years ago I was promoted to Grounds and Estates Manager.”

Who says there are not opportunities for all in this industry?

“We have a lot of passionate people, but the important thing is how you get the message over to young people that there are viable career opportunities with progression throughout the industry. It can take you as far as you want to go.”

Daniel is aware of the perceptions that exist outside of the industry.

“Grass cutting is a part of the job, but there is a level that you reach where you need to have more involved knowledge. There are many intelligent people working in this industry who are very good at what they do but I daresay a lot of

their employers wouldn’t recognise the level they are working at and perhaps take it for granted.

“We have to change that perception but how you do it, possibly requires a separate article entirely!” said Daniel, who is responsible for an excellent apprentice scheme at the school, which has produced some very fine groundsmen.

With this latest GMA recognition there can be no excuse for anyone doubting that place at the giants’ top table for Whitgift and its Grounds Team. It is very well deserved.

“I CAME TO WHITGIFT IN 2015 AS MY SECOND HEAD GROUNDSMAN JOB. I FINISHED MY DEGREE AND TWO YEARS AGO I WAS PROMOTED TO GROUNDS AND ESTATES MANAGER.”

Why it’s vital to have a plan and stick to it

Since 1990, Groundsman Industries have specialised in researching and developing machines and accessories that can be applied to maximum effect to implement a year round aeration programme.

An informed assessment of the condition and problems facing the green being tended is the first step. Compiling a 12 month plan of action is the second step. Thirdly, and most importantly, sticking diligently and determinedly to that plan is vital. Results will not be instantaneous like cutting the grass but vast improvements will be noticeable in a matter of a few months if not weeks, especially those carried out during the summer months when root growth is most vigorous.

The elliptical plunge action tining mechanism of the Groundsman range of surface aerators enabled them to penetrate the soil down to five inch depth with the minimum of surface disruption. Groundsman produce long versions of their standard tines, the depth can be adjusted down as the tine wears giving extra life. It is however important to fit the machine with the correct tines and holder combinations.

Triple holders fitted with 3/8” solid long length tines will produce a hole spacing of about 2” this would be a good choice in a Groundsman machine to perform a summer aeration

programme on a fine turf surface.

Varying the aeration depth can help avoid creating a hard pan and if a hard pan exists, fit the machine with twin tine holders, this will increase the hole spacing to 3” but it will give the machine a better chance of punching through those stubborn hard layers. It is a natural reaction to avoid aerating shallow rooted areas where the surface can lift like a piece of carpet however, these areas need aerating the most.

Aerate these areas as frequently as possible using 3/8” solid tines fitted in Twin Tine Holders to minimise the chances of disturbing or lifting the surface and within a few months the roots will have gone down and Triple Holder can be used again for normal closer pattern aeration. It is also important to remember not to slow the forward speed of the aerator. Groundsman aerators have an elliptical plunge tine action which means that the tine moves horizontally as well as vertically and the horizontal movement is synchronised with each tine entering the ground every 75mm of forward travel. Therefore with Twin Tine Holders fitted, this forward speed will produce a hole spacing 75mm x 75mm i.e. a square hole pattern. This is the correct synchronized forward speed and it should remain constant for all the tines and holders to produce the least surface disruption and have the least chance of lifting shallow rooted turf.

Hollow coring is more labour intensive but generally only needs to be carried out once a year. It is a very effective way

to relieve compaction, prunes the roots and enables soil exchange. Groundsman produce the Flexblade Core Collector attachment which is available to fit most aerators to core and collect in one pass saving a lot of time. The Flexblade can also be mounted on a compact tractor for follow-up collecting of core and linear aeration debris. Hollow coring should be followed by top dressing and overseeding.

The ongoing and continual development by Groundsman of new tines and holders and their effects has resulted in the most useful range of aeration accessories available. Six, eight and ten tine clusterheads will punch holes as close as 1 ¼” apart (120 per square foot) like sorrel rolling but with consistent depth. Set the machine to no more than 1” depth with micro hollow clusters for thatch removal, it also creates a perfect seed bed for over-seeding.

Groundsman offer a Seeding Attachment to fit on the front of the 345 and 460 pedestrian aerators to distribute seed evenly ahead of micro hollow cluster heads which create a dense pattern of uniform shallow holes or pockets into which the seed is encouraged by a stiff bristle bush attachment on the rear of the aerator. Top dressing may be applied before or after this operation as preferred.

The latest attachment from Groundsman is the Caster Wheel attachment, it fits onto the front support tube or bumper bar on the 345 and 460 pedestrian aerator models making light work of turning around at the end of each aeration pass. n www.groundsmanindustries.com

Introducing:

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Winter, we’re ready

ADeep Tine Aerator from GKB Machines has been delivered and put straight to work by the team at Spalding Golf Club, as part of their pre-winter maintenance programme.

Delivering impressive aeration down to 12”, the DTA 160 has already completed passes on both the greens and the fairways since its arrival last October and will be pivotal in keeping the course clear of compaction as the wetter months ap-proach.

Head Greenkeeper Kevin Goude took charge just three months ago, and together with the greens team of five, was delighted to learn he’d inherited an order for a new GKB DTA 160 placed by his predecessor and due for delivery from local distributor Russell’s Groundcare.

“We’ve got a pedestrian aerator in the shed which is ideal for summer work at depths of 4” but we needed something to replace an ageing machine that could penetrate much deeper to really help drainage and root growth” explained Kevin.

The GKB DTA is deep by name and

deep by nature, offering easily adjustable depth and heave angle of up to 250 for effective compaction relief. At 1.6m wide, the DTA 160 at Spalding GC is well suited for tasks around the golf course – from fairways, tees and aprons to intensive

aeration on the clubs 18 greens.

“We took delivery of the DTA 160 at the end of October and went out immediately on the greens, before switching to ¾” tines working at a depth of 10” on the fairways due to the dry summer. One thing we really like about the GKB aerator is the tine blocks which make switching between sets really quick and easy compared to having to replace each tine individually. There’s a whole range of tine options available with this machine as well so we can really make the most of it with operations throughout the maintenance calendar,” he said.

“Alongside the tine system, another thing we’ve been particularly impressed with is the build quality of the DTA - well engineered and robust to handle some of the more challenging ground conditions we have on the fairways.” Kevin concluded.

“Beside the machine itself, the support and back-up service we’ve had from Russell’s Groundcare and Tom Shinkins at GKB has also been excellent. We are now best placed to cope with whatever the weather can throw at us!”

Versatility makes the Air2G2 invaluable at Bruntsfield Links

Since a £1.2m course redevelopment in 2019, the popularity of Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society has surged along with the importance of the Air2G2 Air Inject.

The work carried out by Mackenzie & Ebert was done while preserving previous developments by Willie Park Jr., Alister MacKenzie, James Braid and Fred Hawtree. The world’s fourth oldest golf club had 80 bunkers redesigned and repositioned along with the addition of seven new greens, tee boxes and half of the irrigation system.

Now, the greenkeeping team’s most significant challenge is working between the old and new areas of the course. But to manage this, Course Manager, Neil Hogg has utilised the versatility of the Air2G2 as it has become a machine he wouldn’t be without.

“We’ve got our challenges with adapting from our old course to

our new course and the Air2G2 is perfect for that,” explained Neil.

“The course is a heavy parkland clay. All of our greens are USGA specification and we have some established older tees and some brand-new tees. So, we’ve got a bit of both across the course which is on two tiers with a higher area and a lower lying area.

“We have a lot of pinch points on our greens where it is quite narrow walking in and out. We’ve got a lot of bunker surrounds where members and visitors tend to walk up and around. The Air2G2 can really target these areas and open up the soil again, relieve the surface tension and get some valuable air down and obviously, water goes down as well.

“We had the machine before we did the redevelopment, but the reason we got it was because of its versatility, it’s quick, and once you’ve been over the greens, no-one knows you’ve been there.

This year during the knock-out part of our Club Championship, I ran it over the greens and nobody mentioned it because there was no impact on the play.

“After having it for six years, it is a machine I wouldn’t be without now. Over time it’s become a popular in the industry and we’ve had courses local to us asking to use it, which is the best evidence you need for what a great job it does.”

Fit for year-round play

For the first time in four years, the players at Warrenpoint Golf Club are going into the winter on main greens, thanks to an extensive aeration programme introduced by Head Greenkeeper Matt Purcell.

It’s also no coincidence that this year, Matt purchased a Redexim Carrier and Verti-Drain 1513 allowing the team to effectively aerate all 18 greens in as little as a day – keeping them bone dry and proving themselves as fit for year-round play.

Warrenpoint is ranked as one of the top parkland courses in Northern Ireland, situated in the heart of County Down and surrounded by the Mourne Mountains on one side and Carlingford Lough on the other.

Matt heads-up a maintenance team of five and, on joining the club in late 2021, took some soil samples on the greens which highlighted the need for some ‘TLC’.

“Like a lot of golf clubs in Ireland, we were previously relying on contractors to come in and aer-ate, but my experience from working in clubs in England means I appreciate the multiple benefits that can be brought about with regular aeration every five to six weeks.”

“After speaking to the board, we invited Ian Lauder from Redexim and local dealer Cyril Johnston in with the Redexim Carrier and Verti-Drain, which I had trialled at a previous club. I was no-less impressed seeing it the second time around! The great thing is that the implement can be used with the Carrier or swapped onto a tractor giving you complete flexibility, and a power unit that can then conduct other operations on the greens and tees” Matt explains.

Since the combination was purchased and delivered in March this year, Matt and the team have aerated all greens once a month, along with the tees twice and specific problem areas on some of the

fairways. “This set-up is just brilliant. It is faster and wider than other comparable models meaning we can complete most of our greens in four or five passes, and all 18 greens in a day. The tyres are much better as well being slick, which means we can go anywhere with it and not have to plot a specific route around the course.”

The Redexim Carrier is powered by a 31hp engine and hydrostatic transmission which lends itself to high output and ease of operation. It can work with a variety of implements such as seeders, verti-cutters and in this instance the Verti-Drain 1513 – a lightweight 1.3m model, working with 15o of heave and to a maximum depth of 6” making it ideal for use on sensitive turf areas.

“Time is of the essence with everything we do on the course. Not only do we need to be aerating when the conditions suit, but when we do the operation, we want to be round as quickly as possible so that the members can play golf,” added Matt.

“With this combination, we can now do both – delivering huge improvements to playability and course condition that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the players and the club.”

Long life a big consideration

Myreside Stadium in Edinburgh is home to George Watson’s College and Watsonian rugby club. Regular fixtures held there include Tennent’s National League Division 1, FOSROC Super Six Championship and Tennent’s Women’s Premier League matches.

Beside the main pitch, Head of Grounds, Craig Eccleston, and his team of five, have eight other full size rugby pitches, two large training areas and three cricket squares to maintain, as well as the school’s estate.

In September, they took delivery of a Wiedenmann Terra Spike GXi8 HD deep aerator from Wiedenmann UK’s Scottish dealer, Fairways GM.

“Aeration is a massive part of pitch playability and it’s important that we give all our surfaces best care. In summer I went to a demo at Dollar Academy, where the Wiedenmann team answered my questions,” said Craig.

“I thought the GXi 8 pricewise would be out my range, and we’d go for a smaller one, but I was pleasantly surprised when it came in under my budget.

“The long life of the Wiedenmann was a big consideration. The school plays so

much rugby, and if you factor the FPs’ activity too, all pitches are busy right through until the summer term, when focus switches to athletics and cricket.

“We’ve relied on contractors to come in on a pre-booked day which can bring limitations. Sometimes the conditions don’t suit, or fixtures change, and it doesn’t get done. I made a financial case that if we owned our own machine, we could go out as often as necessary, making use of any windows of opportunity, especially as a full pitch can be done in just over two and a half hours. Having as many pitches, the numbers stacked up.

Craig, who took up his position almost three years ago had previous

experience of working with Terra Spikes when he was head groundsman at Giggleswick School, North Yorkshire.

“This is a newer model to what I had before and I like that there are minimal grease points, so it is easy to maintain. This one is so quick and so smooth. When we look at the weather forecast for the week ahead, I say to the team, ’let’s get the machine on and we’ll pick a couple of pitches off each day and get around everything’. It makes such a difference.

“As soon as the GXi8 arrived in September we did all rugby pitches with 20 mm tines at once. A few had a second aeration in November. During January or February, we will go again once, leaving them until renovations time, which for us is the end of July.

“Our cricket wickets only need to be done annually so ours were aerated at the end of October with 8 mm tines.

“I’m happy with its progress. Ultimately, we invested in the machine to improve the overall playability of the pitches to enhance durability and performance. This enhances the enjoyment for the pupils, letting them play fast expansive rugby.”

Made of the Wright stuff

You probably haven’t heard of Phil Wright, but If you’re a believer in the phrase, “If you want something doing, do it yourself” you will soon be a big fan of the man, and what he has achieved at Earl’s Barton Bowling Club in Northamptonshire.

Phil, who retired as a roofer in 2020, decided that he would volunteer to help out with the endof-season renovations at the club, a situation not unusual at many bowls clubs where budgets are tight and any offers of help from

members are grateful received. What is unusual, however, is that less than three years later Phil is the current Bowls England Greenkeeper of the Year and was named as one of the final two in the GMA Bowls Grounds Team/Individual

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of the Year category announced during Saltex in November.

“It all started with the winter renovation programme in 2020. The club used to hire in a professional contractor to do the work and we’d help with the humping and the heaving, I’d be barrowing and helping out however I could,” explained Phil.

“Now, when you hire someone in you have a problem in that you can’t control the weather conditions for the day they are booked to come, and if he has brought in machinery he wants to get on with it. On the day, it rained and rained, and we all know that you shouldn’t cut grass in the wet.

“Well, he was scarifying and I was running a mower behind him

and it couldn’t even pick up. You can imagine the state the mower was in by the end,” recalled Phil.

“I just thought that it was ridiculous. I was about to retire at the time, reluctantly, as I couldn’t physically work on roofs any more as I’d had a couple of knee ops and lost my agility, and thought I could get more involved in maintaining the green.

“I’d been watching everything he did and thought that, surely, anyone could do it.”

It was a bold statement, given that by his own admission Phil barely knew how to switch on some of the machines.

But Phil was to prove that he was not a man limited to talking the talk – he could do

plenty of the walking too!

He set about learning as much as he possible could about the art of bowls greenkeeping – using a second-hand copy of STRI’s Bowling Green Maintenance he’d been given by the person who had taken over his allotment. That, combined with a healthy work ethic – “I am a grafter” he freely admits – has seen him take the green to levels not seen in its recent history.

The club has hosted some of the county’s top players, seen top county quarter- and semi-finals played on it, while it will be the venue for a Northamptonshire versus Middlesex match later this year. Not bad for a little village with a population of no more than 8,600.

“One of the county Chairmen

HE SET ABOUT LEARNING AS MUCH AS HE POSSIBLE COULD ABOUT THE ART OF BOWLS GREENKEEPING – USING A SECOND-HAND COPY OF STRI’S BOWLING GREEN MAINTENANCE HE’D BEEN GIVEN BY THE PERSON WHO HAD TAKEN OVER HIS ALLOTMENT. THAT, COMBINED WITH A HEALTHY WORK ETHIC – “I AM A GRAFTER” HE FREELY ADMITS – HAS SEEN HIM TAKE THE GREEN TO LEVELS NOT SEEN IN ITS RECENT HISTORY.

actually said that it was the best he had seen the green in 40 years,” said Phil, his tone more of amazement than bravado.

So how did this volunteer layman turf manager become one of the top bowls greenkeepers in the country?

When Phil started out all he had a hand-pushed Sorrel roller, an old Dennis mower and an even older Ransomes Certes mower, generally used for back up, but the breakthrough came when they got hold of a verticutter and he was able to make a real difference.

“I was able to start a routine of six cuts to one verticut, and the results were unbelievable. That said, it was a little frightening because when you start scarifying you really do think you are destroying the surface!”

Phil is full of admiration for Robert Jack, of Dennis SISIS, who not only put some machines into the club for test, but was also on hand to persuade the club committee that the verticutter was a necessity rather than just an optional extra.

“The guy is a diamond and having got the verticutter I got quite addicted to the work. It is so rewarding, it really is. I’d recommend it to anyone if they ever had the opportunity.”

Asked to what he actually got addicted – the therapeutic act of pushing a mower or learning how to do the job, Phil came down on the side of the latter.

“It was the progression of learning. I’m not very IT literate, but I went to college and got my PA1 and PA6

so that I could use a sprayer. That was really daunting because I was at college at the age of 66 with a whole lot of kids on a farm. But I passed.

“So the addiction came from there. But when you see the lovely lines on the green…”

It took time and slowly but surely tangible, measurable improvements began to become obvious and any doubts there may have been about handing over the management of the green to a novice fell away.

“The corners of the green were bare and there were a few other bare patches over the green. We just persevered with our verticutting, and our seeding and watering and we got some growth back and people started to realise that they were liking bowling on the green again.

} That gave me a massive buzz,” said Phil, who was helped originally by another club member, David Rust.

“The fact is that we turned the green around. David and I used to share the work, he’d do half and I’d do half, but he started to reduce his time and I’ve ended up doing it all for the last 18 months and I love it. I never stop thinking and am always trying to find a way to get things done. I do persevere.”

What makes Phil’s progress as a greenkeeper all the more remarkable is that his early development occurred during Covid.

“We followed all the rules during the time. There was a time when bowls weren’t being played but that didn’t mean the green didn’t mean maintenance so we kept working. When we did open for play, we segregated the rinks so 1, 3, and 5 were in play or 2, 4, and 6 were played. We obeyed the rules and, in fact, we got quite a few new members over the following year as we got back to normal.”

Phil did speak with a couple of other greenkeepers at neighbouring

clubs who were particularly helpful and supportive.

“One thing I was taught was that you get the feel. Sometimes something feels as though it’s not right or you get the feel of the machine.

“You also have to be observant., You look at every inch of the green and see where the weeds are growing and what might be causing the area to be a problem.”

But feel is one thing. Knowledge is another and that piece of the jigsaw was provided by his “Bible”, the STRI’s Bowling Green Maintenance.

“It is an old book but it has been invaluable to me. If I want to know anything, it is in there and it goes right back to how a green is built and everything about maintenance. Some of it is beyond me because it talks about the pace of bowls and that side of things but, when it comes to advice on chemicals, it is invaluable,” said Phil, who compiles charts cross-referencing what he needs to do and when.

“Sometimes it’s easy to learn because you want to learn but other times it is quite difficult to grasp and you have to really work at it.”

Having been nominated for the Bowls England Award, Phil was absolutely, in his own words, “gobsmacked” that he won.

“If I’m honest. I was very, very surprised and in a funny way it frightened me to have won as it put me in the spotlight and there were a few snipes this year as the green didn’t look as good.

“It was an evil year with a cold spring and a dry summer. I can’t wait for the green to grow again

and to look good. That said, it still bowled well,” he explained.

“I do like things done properly. I was a self-taught roofer and I’m not arrogant, but I was as good as anyone when it came to roofing, and doing things properly has transferred with me to the bowling green.”

Asked about his ambitions going forward, Phil’s thoughts are interesting and fully in keeping with a man who loves his green, and loves his bowling club.

“My son-in-law is in his late 50s and he helps me because he’s a little bit fitter than me – I’m 68 now. He is interested in learning, so my objective is to train him up – succession planning!”

When Phil spoke with Turf Matters he and his “apprentice” had just overcome a succession of issues, including a dodgy fan belt on a Ryan Mataway, to complete a winter programme which had taken a full 58 hours.

“Initially there were 14 procedures – scarifying in three directions, brush, cut, aerate, but because of the problem we had to do much of it by hand,” recalled Phil, for whom all the work is unpaid, and, as he revealed in an unguarded moment, he doesn’t even get his subs paid.

So, Phil may not be known by many within the industry but he is a wonderful example of a breed of men and women without whom so many sports clubs would fail.

They are unheralded and unsung but so very vital in the wellbeing of this country.

On behalf of the whole industry, Phil, we applaud you!

“YOU ALSO HAVE TO BE OBSERVANT. YOU LOOK AT EVERY INCH OF THE GREEN AND SEE WHERE THE WEEDS ARE GROWING AND WHAT MIGHT BE CAUSING THE AREA TO BE A PROBLEM.”

SUNDAY

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR AT THE SHOW

a brand new bio-stimulant suite of products that encompass all aspects of plant and soil health. We are exclusive distributors for Growth Products, Sustane Natural Fertilizers, Polyon CRF as well as showcasing the latest technology from Aquatrols and Barenbrug.

ACUMEN WASTE SERVICES

STAND 612

Acumen Waste Services is focusing on their class leading ClearWater Wash pad Water Recycling System at BTME 2023 and sees the show as the ideal platform to build last year’s success.

The stand will feature a mini ClearWater display unit to demonstrate new features and, yes, there will be the fantastic “Win a ClearWater system” prize draw again!

If you are interested in bringing your wash pad up to legal requirements, saving precious and increasingly expensive water, do make sure you visit the stand 612 in hall number 6; it may not be as expensive as you thought and you could be a winner! Acumen has attractive waste management packages available too as well as dealing with all manner of waste streams.

AGROVISTA

STAND 120 & 125

ADVANCE GRASS SOLUTIONS

STAND 128

Advance Grass Solutions is the UK’s largest independent professional sport turf maintenance supply and agronomy business.

Our multi-award-winning team of former turf managers will be available at BTME 23 to discuss all things grass - whether it’s the latest non-fungicidal strategy, the importance of soil health or to learn more about organic based sustainable programmes used extensively across the UK in professional sport.

We’ll be launching the latest in biological technology from our US partner, Douglas, as well as

Agrovista Amenity will showcase two unique services – the online Agrovista Amenity Academy and the all-new AgronomyReports - there will be a particular spotlight on both of these informative services. The Agrovista Amenity Academy, which is free to sign-up to, provides in-depth knowledge on Agrovista Amenity’s market leading products (product courses), as well as a wide range of areas in turf management such as turf disease, chemical, product application, seed and turf pests (knowledge courses). The product courses have been designed so that the individual can fully understand and get maximum benefits from the products they purchase and has already shown significant growth with over 12,000 CPD points awarded so far. Alongside the Academy, the unique new soil analysis service called AgronomyReports, which features adaptable nutrition programmes supported by real time weather reports. This new service will ensure that customers have all the information they need to make valuable decisions and help them to use the right products at the right time.

BARONESS STAND 624

One of the largest stands at the show and again teamed up with Kubota UK, Baroness UK will be showcasing grass cutting machinery made in Japan for over 65 years, this year to include our fantastic FS900 core collector and Agrimetal greens roller. Baroness have developed a full range of fine turf and golf course machinery aimed at the maintenance of specific types of terrain, grass types and desired finish. From pedestrian greens mowers to 5 gang fairway and rough mowers the range has been manufactured with three main objectives in mind, low cost of ownership, ease of use and reduced maintenance intervals, thus ensuring that the customer experiences the best value for money solution available. Baroness UK are proud to be suppliers of equipment to many golf courses, sporting facilities and schools across the UK and Europe supported by one of the strongest dealer networks the market has to offer. Enabling us to achieve continued growth in market year on year. #lessstresswithbaroness

CAMPEY TURF CARE SYSTEMS

STAND 220

Campey Turf Care Systems is looking forward to BTME 2023 in Harrogate and will be showcasing a number of new products in addition to taking on a new brand to enhance the excellent range of machinery than is already synonymous with the Campey name and manufacturers such as Dakota, Vredo, Imants, Foley Air 2G2, Koro and Imants! The new brand joins the staple

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR AT THE SHOW

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industry favourites of machines from Omarv, Koro, New Holland, Vredo, Air2G2 Inject Campey and Imants, with new products from several of them to be launched at the show.

Campey will be showcasing equipment covering everything from renovations and aeration to overseeding and utility vehicles. The machinery line-up will encompass every area of maintenance for golf including topdressing, covered by the industry leading Dakota range, and the effective TB220 and UniRake to complete the grooming line-up.

The SISIS Auto Rotorake Mk.5 is a powerful self-propelled heavy duty scarifier designed for the removal and control of thatch on fine turf.

The SISIS Variseeder is a versatile easy to use tractor mounted seeder with a variable seeding rate ideal for golf course maintenance and for use on lawns and amenity areas.

FOLEY STAND 528

With a particular focus on golf course maintenance, visitors to the joint stand can look forward to finding out more about the following market leading products: Quiet in operation with ultra-low hand arm vibration, the ES-22 Ultra can help professionals enhance a playing surface. Very simple to control, variable speeds and clip rates, forward speeds controlled by the operator and easy pull back for accurate alignment of next run.

Using a 7 or 11 bladed cutting cylinder and groomer reel, this 560mm battery mower provides an ultra-fine finish on golf greens and tees. This new mower is based on the Dennis FT510 – which is, historically, the company’s most popular machine.

The mowers take just two to three hours for an ultra-fast full battery recharge and they have very low lifetime costs and significant cost savings on fuel.

The SISIS Rotorake TM1000 is a tractor mounted heavy duty scarifier and linear aerator and is unrivalled when it comes to removing and controlling thatch.

DLF return with a raft of new mixture formulations in their Johnsons Sports Seed range –incorporating new cultivars that promise to improve play quality and be kinder to the environment, and budgets, thanks to reduced reliance on chemical inputs. New for 2023 will be J Intense 50, a new renovation mixture for golf tees, pathways and high wear areas. This mix promises improved drought tolerance, disease resistance and rapid establishment thanks to the inclusion of DLF’s 4turf perennial ryegrass. One of Johnsons leading golf mixtures – J All Bent – has also been reformulated for 2023. With Browntop Bent (Agrostis Tenuis) demonstrating better wear tolerance under close mown conditions and a much lower need for water and fertiliser than Poa annua or Creeping Bent, J All Bent now incorporates Cleek alongside Arrowtown and Manor to make a three-cultivar blend. Cleek is just one of several new cultivars chosen for inclusion across the portfolio in 2023. Orienette Chewings Fescue, Seroa Slender Creeping Red Fescue and Crystal Hard Fescue are among the others, and all are included in the 2023 J Premier Fairway formulation.

Foley is looking forward to BTME 2023, with a much larger stand this year. Each year the quality of the show and the number of visitors looking to see Foley professional grinding equipment, has increased, so Foley has subsequently increased its commitment to BTME too. This will give Foley the opportunity to showcase a selection of the first-class machinery to anyone interested in seeing the latest in grinding technology and technique. It will also give the chance to discuss any requirements with the representatives from Foley and the UK and Ireland distributor ProSport UK Ltd, Ian Robson. Whatever the size of your golf club, the quality you want to achieve for your members is the same. There is a Foley model for everyone at every professional level of play.

GKB STAND 644

GKB Machines return to BTME to showcase an impressive line-up of equipment whether its scarification, aeration or overseeding on the agenda

The VCollector is available in two working widths – 1.2m and 1.6m – and is equipped with precisionengineered steel blades, spaced at 25, 50, 75 or 100mm, for the accurate removal of thatch, surface debris and lateral growth down to depths of 40mm. At the heart of

DENNIS AND SISIS STAND 104

DLF STAND 130

the VCollector is the unique GKB CombiRotor, fitted with wind paddles to generate the suction required to effectively vacuum the removed material up and into the 400L hopper – hydraulically lifted and emptied at the touch of a button. Alongside the VCollector with be the GKB Deep Tine Aerator (DTA). Precision engineered and built for durability and strength, the DTA is available in four working widths from 1.2m to 2.6m meaning there’s a model suited to most fine turf and sports turf applications. Completing the line-up will be the versatile Combiseeder, available in four working widths to meet the needs of greenkeepers, sports turf managers and contractors alike and capable of both seeding and routine overseeding work.

INDIGROW STAND 232

Indigrow are specialist manufactures of fertilisers and nutrients for the sportsturf market, with over 75 years’ experience of operating around the world. Indigrow produces a comprehensive range of specialist nutritional products for professional sports turf, agriculture, horticulture and landscaping. Indigrow is able to design, develop and manufacture specialist major, secondary and micronutrient fertiliser formulations.

Introduced in direct response to demand from the golf market, a new 22” dedicated cutting unit will also be showcased. When married to the Infinicut traction unit, with its unique floating mechanism, overall balance and wireless control system, this new mower offers unbeatable cut performance and unparalleled contour following ability. The SMARTCut reels, manufactured in-house in Sheffield, are dynamically balanced and are guaranteed concentric to within 20µm across the entire length. The SMARTCut forms part of the wider TMSystem collection of grooming, mowing and maintenance cassettes.

GREENTEK STAND 244

Recognised around the world for high quality, innovative equipment that helps turfcare profes-sionals to produce top-class playing surfaces and save them time and money, it’s no wonder GreenTek is “Trusted by the best in the game”. 90 of the UK’s top 100 golf courses use GreenTek equipment and have done for many, many years. They know they can trust our equipment, trust our team and trust our support. After more than 50 years we’ve created a comprehensive range of turfcare equipment, almost all available from stock, to help you deliver the playing surfaces you want, whilst also saving you time and money. Equipment with 5m working widths for faster coverage, attachments to carry out multiple tasks in a single pass or our brand new fertiliser and chemical mixing station that could save you 90% against the cost of using concentrates.

Indigrow has vast experience in fertiliser, wetting agent and irrigation products for the amenity sector. The current product range has been developed and improved over time to suit the plant requirements on managed amenity turf.

BTME 2023 will be an exciting opportunity for Indigrow to showcase their latest product developments, research and trial results – visit the stand to discover more about Indigrow and how they can help with your turf management needs.

ISEKI STAND 646

INFINICUT STAND 614

Fresh from the factory and on show for the first time will be a dedicated trailer unit for the 22” MK6 models, together with a new 22” cutting unit launching specifically for the golf sector. The Infinicut trailer offers the convenient and safe transportation of the 22” model between greens.

It features a roller ramp on/off system, the rubber roller affixing to the mower stub axles before securing with a quick release locking and unlocking mechanism.

The cutting unit is supported on a cushioned platform to minimise any movement in HOC..

ISEKI will be presenting their unbeatable SF range of cut and collect mowers alongside their renowned high quality range of compact tractors and the remote controlled fully electric Raymo slope mower. With many changes to models pop along and see what’s been happening. ISEKI are also excited to announce they are now distributors for Addax all electric commercial vans, built to order to individual specifications these vans come with box or tipper bodies to suit the required use, plus a payload of up 1000kg. Fully N1 road homologated with a speed of up to 42kmph the Addax vehicle is ideal for travelling around sites where zero emissions are required. Good for your wallet and the environment the commercial vehicles boast one of the lowest running costs in the market. All Addax vehicles are equipped with a reliable, long-lasting LiFePo4 battery that can ceasily be charged and comes with a 5-year warranty. Equipped with advanced remote diagnostics every Addax has high quality 4G monitoring technology that is perfect for remote diagnosis, so no more expensive downtime. }

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR AT THE SHOW

renowned for their knowledge and shared commitment to personal service. That service includes product selection advice, help with finding irrigation businesses partners and, when required, as much involvement in client projects as you might want us to have.

KAR UK LTD STAND 550

KAE UK Ltd is considered as the largest UK wholesaler of irrigation equipment.

Free to source from the best manufacturers worldwide, we constantly monitor new irrigation products and their performance in the field. This practice led to our catalogue becoming the definitive reference document for the UK irrigation industry. Alongside, our staff became

KUBOTA UK STAND 624

Visitors will be able to see a number of units from their RTV range, including the top-selling RTV-X1110 equipped with a dedicated golf cage kit, alongside a new, wider Centre Collect Front Mower from the Kubota Gianni Ferrari S.R.L division.

Kubota’s RTV utility vehicles promise control and comfort across all types of terrain. Launched last year, the RTV 520 is well suited to the golf market with an easyaccess, heavy-duty cargo bed and lightweight overall footprint. The powerful – yet quiet – 2-cylinder engine and hydrostatic transmission delivers performance, reliability and excellent traction.

Also in the RTV portfolio and on-show will be the RTV-X1110 from Kubota’s X-Series. The RTV-X1110 offers greater power and enhanced versatility thanks to a 24.2hp diesel engine and for the very first time, the RTV-X1110 will be shown complete with golf cage for ultimate efficiency and safety when conducting tasks on the driving range.

For cut and collect around the course, such as roughs or heather

management, the new Centre Collect Front Mower FC4-501 promises to be another highlight. Featuring a 50hp engine and wider 155cm ‘floating’ out-front flail deck that promises to conform to undulating ground, the CCFM is the ‘big brother’ to the smaller 25hp FC3261 version debuted at SALTEX.

LLOYDS AND HUNTER GRINDERS

STAND 140

Lloyds Mowers and Hunter Grinders will be making their first BTME appearance since being acquired by the Howardson Group, manufacturers of the Dennis and SISIS brands. This strategic alliance signals exciting times for the two well respected brands. Lloyds has always manufactured and supplied products that deliver on performance while requiring minimum maintenance. The Paladin pedestrian mower is a classic example of a quality product that can stand alone and deliver the cut today as it has done, for many decades. Also on show will be the Lloyds Leda Gang Mowers. Hunter Grinders is known worldwide in golf and stadia for their grinding performance on cutting cylinders and bottom blades. The company has steadily built up a reputation for supplying strong, accurate, precision grinders. Company representatives will also be on hand throughout the event to talk about the products in more detail.

Pioneers in the development and production of premium quality silica sand-based products for over 170 years, Mansfield Sand is the market leader in supplying to some of the most prestigious sporting venues across the UK and Europe. The Mansil range of Silica Sands s sourced from the company’s Two Oaks Quarry in Mansfield.. These products are predominantly used in the construction and maintenance of a wide range of sports surfaces – from winter sports pitches, golf courses, bowling greens and all amenity turf areas. Produced for the fine turf market, Mansfield Sand’s Soil Top Dressing is a manufactured homogenous product made from their own premium silica sands combined with top quality soils. For renovation or construction, the company’s superior rootzone blend Mansil 40 Silica Sand with a quality screened topsoil, guarantees the perfect start.

A range of premium quality sand organic material blends which are perfect for creating a rootzone where an organic rich material is required within the profile, aiding in the retention of nutrients while providing increased drought resistance. A range of reinforced rootzones developed to obtain greater use from natural turf surfaces whilst maintaining the high standards demanded by today’s sports industry and meeting the expectations of ground staff at all levels.

MM SPORTS SEED STAND 130

Visitors to the MM Sports Seed stand can expect a range of market leading products that can significantly improve both the quality and aesthetics of a golf course. All the varieties in the MM mixtures are thoroughly tested at STRI –ensuring that the finished product will meet your requirements for play, appearance, and maintenance. The MM Supreme Ryegreen mix offers Course Managers 100% Ryegrass mixture for use on greens and fine turf areas. This new mixture benefits from the inclusion of Singapore Perennial Ryegrass, which is extremely fine leaved with good shoot density along with high disease and wear tolerance. MM9 Grass Seed, a 100% Bent mixture, provides an excellent formulation for summer overseeding and autumn renovation of top-quality golf greens. It produces a fine, dense sward which gives an excellent playing surface. MM50 is one of the UK’s biggest selling grass mixtures. The hardwearing Ryegrass mix is very fine leaved, has high shoot density, is tolerant to close mowing down to 5mm and produces a great colour all year round. It also has quick recovery from damage and play.

MANSFIELD SAND

STAND 242

Mansfield Sand will feature a wide range of innovative products for sports, landscaping and equestrian uses.

Martin Lishman Ltd is a specialist manufacturer of Compact Amenity Sprayers. The Mini-Spray, Midi-Spray and Micro-Spray models are suitable for a wide range of amenity spraying applications including golf courses, sports turf, school playing fields and paddock spraying, with users consistently reporting excellent results. The Martin Lishman sprayer range includes trailed, ATV mounted, demountable and self-propelled models with tank sizes ranging from 70 to 600 litres and boom widths from one metre to eight metres.

ORIGIN AMENITY SOLUTIONS STAND 230

Origin Amenity Solutions will be demonstrating the breadth and wealth of its four brands, Rigby Taylor, Headland, Symbio and Turfkeeper. Visit the stand to meet the teams behind the brands and see first-hand how they work in partnership to offer grounds }

MARTIN LISHMAN LTD STAND 248

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR AT THE SHOW

} managers and greenkeepers a solutions led approach to turf management. The £1m Origin turf science and research centre will be profiled at the event with a class on building a fertiliser programme by Kelly -Marie Clack, Agronomy Technical Manager, and Geoff Fenn, Research & Development Director. Geoff will also be running a seminar on the latest research in turf management.

a blend of peak power and agility with front-mounted attachments for superior visibility, a pivoting frame for manoeuvrability, and excellent weight distribution for balance and stability, the new 4520 elevates the Ventrac experience to a whole new level.

REDEXIM STAND 532

PRICE TURFCARE STAND 122

Price Turfcare, the UK and Ireland distributor of the Ventrac multiimplement, all-terrain compact tractor, returns to BTME with a new location and a bespoke stand for this year’s event, with an impressive display of the new Ventrac 4520 compact tractor and attachments. For some visitors it will be the first opportunity to see the new machine. It’s not a radical change, but there’s a whole series of improvements ‘under the bonnet’ resulting in 30% more available power, giving the best mix of machine performance, operator experience and durability. At its core, the 4520 is a compact tractor, but it is very different to what most greenkeepers are used to seeing. The purpose of a tractor is to perform tasks more efficiently than manual tasks. The Ventrac 4520 plays on these advantages, then takes it to the next level. The 4520 retains all the features of its predecessor, including its 30-degree slope climbing ability, but has been enhanced with an all-new hydraulic system featuring larger bore piping, more powerful auxiliary hydraulics and more resilient hoses and fittings resulting in faster and stronger operation. Ventrac has become the number one choice for versatility in the greenkeeping sector. Combining

RAIN BIRD STAND 132

Rain Bird Landscape and Sports Turf irrigation will be displaying a number of new products including the new RC2 Smart Irrigation controller and the modular ESPLXME 2 traditionally wired models. Used in conjunction with and accessed through the Rain Bird Mobile App, the RC2 enables users to manage remotely residential and light commercial installations. Contractors and site managers have full WiFi control of irrigation scheduling for multiple sites and zones. Through alerts, users can monitor and manage all irrigation events and warnings in real-time, ensuring the landscape will receive only the water it needs while potentially saving up to 50% in water. Compatible with Rain Bird’s IQ4 Cloud irrigation management system, the ESP-LXME 2 traditionally wired modular models focus on water conservation, flexibility and simplicity in use. The controller allows the user to customise irrigation station capacity from 12 to 48 stations. 40 independent irrigation programs can be set with up to 10 starts per program. Water management features include FloManager which manages demand to maximise use of water and shorten total watering times.

Aerators, seeders, topdressers and more will all take centre stage on the Redexim stand. Proven to be one of the most accurate dimple seeders on the market, the Redexim Multi-Seeder promises to be a particular highlight where visitors can also find out about a brand-new promotion which will be a musthave for those looking to overseed as part of their spring renovations!

Equally as suited to work on fine turf and amenity areas, the Multi-Seeder features twin spiked rollers which saturates the ground with up to 1,890 holes per square metre, creating the perfect dimple in which to deliver the seed.

The Verti-Drain 2519 is widely recognised as the leading highspeed, high-productivity aerator – featuring a 1.9m working width and the ability to accept a wide range of tine options. Re-engineered to include a new draw-rod system and an easy-toadjust heave lever, the 2519 offers a PTO speed of up to 540rpm. Also launching will be a new addition to their topdressing range, which promises to deliver accuracy, adjustability and a brand new user-friendly interface for maximum versatility and efficiency.

REESINK STAND 622

New machinery from Toro, the next big thing for sustainable

machinery cleaning and a wealth of innovative technology to make the job of turfcare and ground management professionals easier from Reesink UK will be at the Show. New machinery from Toro is always a big draw and this year there are two machines debuting – the new Toro ProCore 648s and Toro Workman UTX 4x4. The Toro ProCore 648s builds on the greenkeeper favourite – the ProCore 648, introducing even more features to the time-tested machine that changed the way customers aerate. The next new entry from Toro is the Workman UTX 4x4. This robust fourwheel drive, full-sized utility vehicle can handle kerbs, inclines, hillsides, slopes and drops and all weathers. Also on stand will be an example of Toro’s sustainable machinery options: the electric Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 riding mower, Greensmaster eFlex 1021 pedestrian mower and Workman GTXe utility vehicle. Carrying on the sustainability theme, Reesink will have product from their UK Golf cleaning and sustainability partner Bio-Circle. Further technology comes in the shape of the Toro myTurf

Pro app, that allows parts to be ordered, service activities to be scheduled and utilisation data to be tracked in real-time. Finishing off the line up from Reesink Hydro-Scapes are the most advanced central control irrigation system, controllers, sprinklers and soil systems from Toro, water aerators for the cleanest, healthiest water quality from Otterbine.

SUSTÅNE STAND 170

It’s all about organics for Suståne Natural Fertilizer’s return to Harrogate. As one of the most comprehensively researched organic fertiliser ranges available in today’s market, a stop by the Suståne stand

is a must for anybody looking for natural solutions to plant nutrition and soil management and this year will prove no different! The focus for 2023 will be products to help post-renovation recovery, including Suståne’s unique Soil ReGen Structural Soil Conditioner. Soil ReGen is used for amending soils on the golf course and a range of other professional and commercial lawn situations. Reducing compaction and increasing water and air infiltration rates, Soil ReGen supplies organic-rich and biologically stable humus, humic acids, beneficial microorganisms and other organic nutrients to regenerate and rebuild disturbed or depleted soils. Another product formulated to assist plant establishment is Suståne 4-6-4 organic granulated slow-release nitrogen fertiliser. 4-6-4 is formulated to be gentle on plants, making it ideal for spreading with seed and applying to seedlings in both fine turf and landscape environments. }

WHO TO LOOK OUT FOR AT THE SHOW

Torrent 2 debris blowers and our TriWave overseeders. However, we also manufacture the CR-15, a combined material handler and top dresser for fairway maintenance, the Mete-R-Matic range of dropstyle top dressers and pedestrian edgers and turf cutters.

TEAM SPRAYERS STAND 518

British sprayer manufacturer

Team Sprayers will be at the BTME on stand 518 with their range of pedestrian, mounted and self propelled sprayers, which are all designed to provide precision application for your sportsground.

Team Sprayers has been a manufacturer of agricultural, groundcare and horticultural sprayers since 1981 and design their sprayers to be robust and simple to use whilst providing efficient application. All their sprayers are manufactured in house, giving them the capability to build bespoke sprayers to match their customers’ exact requirements.

VANMAC STAND 526

As restrictions on curative chemistries continue to pose a challenge to course managers, it is now more critical than ever that every operation conducted above ground has plant health at its core. As the most regular task, mowing can have either a positive or negative impact on the plant depending on whether the correct cutting performance can be attained. This will be the focus for Vanmac as they return to BTME in 2023, showcasing a range of rotary and multi-deck mowers from Progressive that offer industry-leading cut quality and contour-following ability.

cut and unbeatable versatility. Cut and collect is covered too with the Trilo range of multi-purpose collector units. The Trilo M4 can be configured with a variety of shaft options – including a choice of flail rotor styles – and features a powerful fan to lift the mown material up into the 4m 3 hopper, leaving a clean finish after a single pass.

TURF CO STAND 608

Turfco built the first mechanised topdresser in 1961 and continues as the first choice of professional turf managers worldwide. Turfco designs and manufactures products that help do jobs more efficiently and effectively in topdressing, seeding, debris blowing, application and renovation. We’re driven by a passion for improving the health and playability of your turf, and this unwavering commitment has yielded a continuous series of breakthroughs; that’s quality innovations rewarded by 16 patents.

In the UK we are primarily known for our high-quality range of trailed and truck-mounted 1550 series top dressers, powerful

The Progressive TDR-X features three independently floating decks which promise to closely follow undulations without the risk of scalping – thereby reducing the risk of creating entry points for pathogens to take hold. Along with other machines in the Progressive range, the TDR-X features Pro Lift-N-Turn technology, which enables the operator to temporarily lift the decks with the PTO still engaged, increasing manoeuvrability and overall productivity.

The TDR-X will be on show alongside the Pro-Flex 120 – the most widely used trailed contour finishing mower. The Pro-Flex is ideal for producing a fine finish on fairways and surrounds, featuring a high blade tip speed and graduated cut height options down to 25mm for uniformity of

WEED WIZARD STAND 031

Technological advances in intelligent weed spraying are moving forward rapidly and now offer grounds staff and maintenance personnel working in the amenity sector the ability to target weeds in often neglected areas such as: kerb edges, pathways or cycle lanes, and in gravel car parks. The new Weed Wizard, from Cambridgeshire-based designer and manufacturer Techneat Engineering, is an ATV mounted spraying system that identifies weeds through digital imagery and applies a direct application onto the weeds via multi-pencil jet nozzles. Each individually controlled nozzle treats a specific target area of 100mm across the machine’s width, targeting weeds with accuracy using ultra-low drift nozzles combined with computer aided spot spray technology to minimise overspray and reduce environmental impact. The intelligent application system is automatic, allowing the operator to focus solely on controlling the vehicle and observing their surroundings in safety and comfort. The Weed Wizard can be fitted to any type of ATV or Quad bike and comes complete with a 60L tank offering a spray width of up to 1.2m. Machine specifications include a 12v diaphragm pump, tank agitation, glycerine filled pressure gauge and a dual filtration system.

Exhibitor listing

EXHIBITOR

STAND NO

Dryspell Irrigation Solutions Ltd 508

DSV UK Eurograss 106

Durabunker 512

East Riding Turfcare 208

EcoBunker Ltd 636

Education Hub 118

Envu 134

European Institute of Golf Course Architects 304

Evenproducts Limited 552

Foley Company/True Surface 528

GBR Technology Limited 506

Germinal Amenity 136

GKB Machines 644

Grasshopper Mowers 504

GreenBest Ltd/Velvit 100

GreenTek Solutions Ltd 244

Grillo Agrigarden Ltd 210

Grounds Management Association 308

Groundsman Industries Ltd 108

GRUNDFOS Pumps 412

Howard Marshall Engineering Ltd 554

Howardson Ltd 140

Huck Nets UK Ltd 544

Hunter Industries 550

Husqvarna 548

Huxley Golf 510

ICL 224

idverde Limited 110

Indigrow 232

INFINICUT 614

ISEKI 646

Jacobsen Mowers & Cushman Utility Vehicles 336

John Deere 222

KAR UK 550

Kioti UK Ltd 600

Kubota UK Ltd 624

Lantra 146

LFP Civil & Environmental Engineering 414

Lister Wilder - Salsco Rollers 610

EXHIBITOR

STAND NO

Makita UK Ltd 530

Mansfield Sand Company Ltd 242

Martin Lishman Ltd 248

MH Goals 638

Milwaukee Tool UK 126

MJ Abbott Ltd 422

Myerscough College and University Centre 206 National Sprayer Testing Scheme (NSTS) 648 NMSB 418

Oldham College Education Hub

Origin Amenity Solutions 200 & 230 Perennial Wellbeing Area

Plant Food Company 402 Plastech Limited 542

PMP Europe Ltd 516

POGO - Stevens Water Monitoring Systems, Inc 514 Price Turfcare - Ventrac 122

Prodata Weather Systems 620

Profusion Environmental Ltd 522

Rain Bird Europe 132 Redexim 532 Redlynch Leisure 420

Reelsharp Mobile Cylinder Sharpening 168 Reesink UK 622

Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) Wellbeing Area

Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) Education Hub

Seminar Theatre 404 Shelton Sportsturf Drainage Ltd 212

Soil Biology 322 Soil Scout 546

Sports & Turf 148

Sports Chaplaincy UK Wellbeing Area

Sports Metals 178

Sports Turf Data Solutions 302 Suffolk New College Education Hub

Sustainability Zone 520

Exhibitor listing

EXHIBITOR STAND

Ransomes J125

Raw Stadia J189

Redexim UK M075

Reesink UK K080

Ritchie

Rootwave G041

Service Dealer/Turf Pro H010

SGL G130

SISGrass G095

SMG Sportplatzmaschinenbau GmbH E129

Southern Machinery Ltd A054

Spaldings & Central Spares C040

Sports & Turf F180

Sports turf data solutions Ltd D105

Springmasters Ltd A110

STIHL H020

EXHIBITOR

STM Co Ltd

K090

STUART CANVAS GROUP B089

Tarmac Topsport H110

Team Sprayers Ltd C095

Terraflex K180

Timberwolf Ltd H085

TLS – Turf Lighting Solutions H081

Tomlin, DW A065

Toro UK Limited E065

TP Woodchippers D110

Tracmaster Ltd G050

TRP Imports Ltd K109b

TSCL ZELUP B107

Tudor Environmental M090

Turf Business D122

Turf Tank G085

charity walk something to shout ABOUT

Ian Darler BEM completed his Walk to Qatar on 19 November ahead of the clash with Accrington Stanley at the Abbey Stadium. The U’s Stadium Manager and Head Groundsman raised money and awareness for Shout 85258 – the Club’s Mental Health partner – by walking the equivalent distance from London to Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup kick-off. That’s an incredible 5,681,280 yards or 3,228 miles! We sat down with Ian this week so he could tell his remarkable story.

IAN, TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND WITH MENTAL HEALTH, AND WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO START YOUR WALK?

Having suffered and overcome mental health issues myself, I’ve got good knowledge of what it is when you’re at the lowest point in your life – however it was the tragic passing of a very close friend that made me start the walk for Shout 85285. Having spoken to him the day before he took his life – you would never had known there was anything wrong with him. It’s something I’ve since really beaten myself up about because I believe that anybody who hasn’t experienced mental health issues would probably think that when someone is suffering, they’re a misery and down in the dumps – but that’s not always the case. I managed to hide my depression and PTSD for over 18 months by laughing, joking and being over-enthusiastic about everything but that in itself was exhausting.

When I spoke to my friend the day before he took his life, he was buzzing, he was really enthusiastic following Cambridge United’s results, and with him having been involved within the club for several decades all seemed normal and he just seemed hyper due to all the success around the club.

What happened the following day will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I thought that if I could change this outcome for just one other person then I would do all I could to make it happen, so the walk was a simple way of getting the message out that if you are struggling with your mental health, don’t suffer in silence, you need to tell someone. Equally, if you think someone is struggling, you just need to ask them if everything’s okay, but don’t only ask once, ask them twice, are you sure you are okay. You may well be surprised by the reply.

WHAT WAS THE AIM OF THE WALK TO QATAR, IAN?

The walk was originally meant to be a million-step challenge, but following

the success of that in getting people to talk about mental health, discussions between myself and the Club’s charity partner, Shout 85258, continued as we wanted to keep people talking about mental health and reduce the stigma that surrounds it and football is a great way of engaging people in discussion.

We then decided to extend the walk, with the World Cup looming, to 5.7 million yards, or 3,228 miles – the distance between London and host nation Qatar.

The overall aim of both challenges was to raise awareness of mental health issues and make people aware of the help that is available. Shout 85258 offer an amazing service for anyone who is struggling with mental health and currently have on average 2,400 conversations a day.

What I didn’t expect was for people to reach out personally for my help. Over the past 12 months I’ve had dozens of people coming to me acknowledging they have mental health issues and that they had never spoken to anyone about it before – several of which were people going through serious mental health challenges.

I have also spoken twice at national conferences, for the Football Safety Officers Association which also had the dramatic effect of 13 people coming forward to say they were suffering with mental health issues having never opened up about it before and they then assured me that they would seek professional help – let me tell you, this was more rewarding to me than winning Groundsman of the Year awards or getting a Queen’s honour, because that’s potentially saving somebody’s life.

I think people have either read the chapter Life Changing from my book Life’s A Pitch or from my walk diary entries on my charity website (cambridgecharityfundraisers. com/the-shout-journey) – to which they can relate to it. I’ve not had any professional training regarding mental health, only my personal experiences. I know how I cheated in terms of hiding my depression and PTSD, and I know how I recovered.

The last week of the walk I only had to walk 30,000 yards to cover, in which the final steps of the walk were from Parkers Piece, in central

SO FAR, HOW MUCH MONEY HAVE YOU RAISED FOR SHOUT 85258 AND HOW CAN PEOPLE DONATE?

We’ve raised £16,000 and donations are still being coming in – which is absolutely incredible when you think of the state of the economy currently and how people are challenged financially. I think it’s just amazing how people are contributing and they can rest assured that every penny they donate will help Shout and help others dealing with life’s challenges. These donations will potentially help save more lives.

People still wanting to donate can do so by visiting my charity page, which is Cambridgecharityfundraisers.com

There’s a whole section on there about the Walk to Qatar, which includes a button that takes you straight to the charity page you can donate to.

Every penny counts, and what I think people need to remember is that it could be someone in their family that it helps.

FOLLOWING YOUR INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT, WHAT’S NEXT FOR IAN DARLER?

The first thing is to give myself a break and have some good quality family time, which I’m sure my family will appreciate!

This walk, which has lasted over 12 months, has been really time-consuming, but in the New Year I have plans to hold a mental health lunch which will involve inviting companies and individuals in order to make them aware of some of the signs to look out for in their staff relating to mental health issues. We hope to have some top guest speakers from the football world in attendance.

Shout is the UK’s first and only free, 24/7, confidential text message support service for anyone who is struggling to cope.

Cambridge, to the Abbey Stadium and took my step total to 6.2 million.